Anti-racism measures urged as part of pandemic response
Anti-racism should be part of Canada’s response to COVID-19 in light of the surge of hate crimes across the country during the pandemic, says an opposition MP.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan is calling on the Liberal government to show leadership by hosting a federal-provincial-territorial meeting to discuss the rise in hate incidents and come up with ways to flatten that curve.
“I am particularly concerned for people’s safety at this time, not just about the spread of COVID-19 but also from racist attacks, both verbal and physical,” said the MP for the Vancouver East riding.
“People thought to be of Asian ancestry are under attack, verbally and physically. Seniors have been pushed to the ground, women have been kicked and punched, Good Samaritans who attempt to intervene are under attack. I am disappointed, I am hurt, I am worried and I am angry.”
On Thursday, a day after the lions of the Millennium Gate in Vancouver’s Chinatown were defaced with anti-Asian graffiti, Kwan sent a letter to Deputy
Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who chairs the federal pandemic response team, with the demand.
“I would like to reinforce the need for the government to take the necessary measures to stand against all forms of systemic discrimination and racism,” Kwan said in her threepage letter.
“We must quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear and offer protection and support to all Canadians from coast to coast against these despicable acts.”
The recent vandalism in Vancouver’s Chinatown was just the latest in a series of raciallymotivated incidents in Canada related to COVID-19, particularly targeting those of Asian descent.