Canadian government to introduce anti-Islamophobia representative

By Hana Mae Nassar

On the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario, the federal government has announced it is beginning its search for a key role to combat Islamophobia.

Applications are now open for Canada’s first-ever special representative on combatting Islamophobia. That person will be reaching out to communities and advising the prime minister and the government on the best ways to fight hate against Muslims in Canada.

“It is impacting Muslim Canadians from across the country,” Minister for Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen said, adding the government is committed to fighting hate.

“The application process is open for anyone interested to fulfill the role,” he continued. “They will issue recommendations and they will work tirelessly to promote work to combat Islamophobia.”

RELATED: Anti-Islamophobia campaign aims to educate Canadians as discrimination grows

This stems from a national summit last summer. Hussen defends the time it has taken to get this going, saying extensive consultations on the mandate were required.

“You’ve got to get it right and you have to create a position that will get the confidence of the community,” he said.

Fatema Abdalla with the National Council of Canadian Muslims tells CityNews this, along with several other positive developments, is a step in the right direction.

“It’s about time that we see action,” she said.

However, Abdalla stresses more needs to be done, including better protection.

“Security infrastructure program funding that allows for mosques and places of worship to better protect themselves,” she said.

The group is also calling for more action to tackle online hate, a national public education campaign on Islamophobia, as well as changes to the criminal code.

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