43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 113 Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 8065 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, June 8, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. There was also the attack on the Quebec City mosque. [English] Prayer The cowardly murder of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis at a mosque in ● (1005) Toronto, the violent attacks against Black Muslim women in Ed‐ [English] monton and so many other people across the country who have faced insults, threats and violence were all targeted because of their ATTACK IN LONDON, ONTARIO Muslim faith. This is happening here in Canada and it has to stop. The Speaker: Before we begin, following discussions among [Translation] representatives of all parties in the House, I understand that there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the We must not become inured to this violence. We must not be‐ attack in London, Ontario. come desensitized to it. We must not accept this as normal. Every [Translation] time we witness such hate, we must call it out. That starts with do‐ ing little things. I invite hon. members to rise. ● (1010) [A moment of silence observed] [English] Words matter. They can be a seed that grows into an ugly, perva‐ ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS sive trend and sometimes lead to real violence. The jokes that are [English] not funny, the casual racism, the insinuations that are only meant to diminish, the toxic rhetoric, the disinformation and extremism on‐ ATTACK IN LONDON, ONTARIO line, and the polarization we see too often in our public discourse Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speak‐ and in our politics, as leaders and as Canadians we not only have to er, assalam alaikum. say enough is enough, we must take action. We cannot allow any form of hate to take root, because the consequences can be far too Lately, a lot of Canadians have been enjoying evening walks to serious. We have seen it in Christ Church. We have seen it in other get a bit of fresh air after long days at home during this pandemic. places around the world. We have lived it here at home. On Sunday, in London, Ontario, that is what a grandmother, two parents and two children went out to do, three generations of the Right now, Canadians are outraged by what happened on Sunday Afzaal family, Salman, Madiha, their children Yumna and Fayez and many Muslim Canadians are scared. and their grandmother. But unlike every other night, that family never made it home. Their lives were taken in a brutal, cowardly Last night I spoke with the mayor of London, Ed Holder, and a and brazen act of violence. This killing was no accident. This was a representative of the local Muslim community, Nawaz Tahir, to terrorist attack motivated by hatred in the heart of one of our com‐ share my condolences and discuss the urgency of what more we munities. must do to keep our communities safe. [Translation] We stand with the people of London and Muslim communities I am horrified by the attack that took the lives of four members across the country. We are going to continue to fund initiatives like of one family and seriously injured a 9-year-old boy on Sunday the security infrastructure program to help protect communities at evening in London, Ontario. Our hearts go out to their loved ones at risk, their schools and places of worship. We will continue to fight this very difficult time. We all hope that little boy will be able to hate online and offline, which includes taking even more action to heal from his injuries quickly, even though we know he will have to dismantle far-right hate groups like we did with the Proud Boys, by live a very long time with the sadness, anger and incomprehension adding it to Canada's terror listing. We will continue doing every‐ caused by the cowardly, Islamophobic attack. thing we can to keep communities safe. 8066 COMMONS DEBATES June 8, 2021 Routine Proceedings [Translation] [English] The perpetrator of Sunday's vicious attack in London does not We grieve for his family. We grieve for the Muslim community represent who we are as Canadians. We know that we are stronger in London and across the country, because this is a pain they have when we live in peace than when we live in hatred and violence. known before. We also know that we need to acknowledge the truth: this sort of [Translation] hate and violence exists here in Canada, whether it be on the street, online or elsewhere. As long as it exists, we still have work to do. Despite our sorrow and pain, we must find a solution. [English] [English] If anyone thinks racism and hatred do not exist in this country, I There is a nine-year-old boy lying in a hospital bed, and we have ask of them this, how do we explain such violence to that child in to strive to learn and be better. The Canada of his future needs to be hospital? How can we look families in the eye and say, Islamopho‐ better than the Canada of Sunday evening. He deserves a Canada bia is not real? When we listen to the Black Muslim woman who where his family can go for a walk on a tranquil Sunday evening. constantly looks over her shoulder at the bus stop, fearing someone He deserves a Canada where he can go to a mosque and not worry will pull off her hijab or hurt her, she will tell us that Islamophobia about his safety. He deserves a Canada where Muslim women of exists. If we listen to the parents who beg their children not to wear faith can wear a hijab without fear of being accosted or harassed in traditional clothes for fear of them being harassed or attacked sim‐ public. ply for what they are wearing, they will tell us racism exists. [Translation] Muslim families have often felt uncertain or even fearful when they go out on the streets wearing traditional garb. The reality is He deserves a country that is free and without fear, a country most Canadians have not necessarily been aware of that fear that where people can go for a walk in total safety. far too many racialized and Muslim Canadians carry with them any [English] time they go outside. Over the last year, we have become more separated from one an‐ If the attack in London has any follow-up or impact on non-Mus‐ other. Police services have warned of a dramatic increase in hate lim Canadians, it should be this, to understand the anxiety and the crimes, violent extremism, Islamophobia and other signs of intoler‐ fear that our fellow Canadians carry, that they should not be carry‐ ance for one part of our country to another. It feels like we are hav‐ ing. It is on all of us to understand that experience and be there to ing conversations in grief and fighting intolerance more and more. support and to help. We can and we must act. As hard as that is, it is important for us to shine light collectively to fight against the darkness. As Canadians, we have been fighting a global pandemic for over a year now, and we did it by coming together and by working to‐ It is important that we measure the distance between the Canada gether. That is the only way of confronting the ugly face of hatred. I that we have and the Canada that we want, but it is more important want all Canadians to know that we are all diminished when any for us to not just recognize the distance between those Canadas, but one of us is targeted. We need to stand up and reject racism and ter‐ to conquer the distance. ror, and work together to embrace what makes our country strong, our diversity. [Translation] When we talk about a society in which all people are free to May peace and blessings be upon you. practise their faith, to speak openly and to go wherever they like, let ● (1015) us remember that five people in London, Ontario, could not even go for a walk. Hon. Erin O'Toole (Leader of the Opposition, CPC): Mr. Speaker, in London, Ontario, there is a nine-year-old boy lying in a [English] hospital bed. If he is awake, he may already know that his family will never be the same. Someone else's hatred of their faith is the only reason why. Just before 8:40 p.m. on a tranquil Sunday evening, as his family The Canada we have is one where four of these people are never went out for a walk together, they were struck down by a brutal act going home. The Canada we want is the one that we owe to that of terror, as a family went for a walk on a Sunday evening on a nine-year-old in a hospital bed. street in Canada. The Muslim community has known a lot of sorrow and much of [Translation] it is all too recent. In the hours since learning of this attack, I found myself thinking of my many Muslim friends and their young fami‐ Right now, there is a nine-year-old by in a hospital in London, lies, people I have known for decades, children I have watched Ontario.