M-103 report makes few mentions of Islamophobia
Divisive word largely left out of conclusions
OTTAWA • The report arising from the Liberals’ anti-Islamophobia motion, M-103, was made public Thursday, and calls for a national action plan on racism and religious discrimination, better data collection on hate crimes and cultural sensitivity training for law enforcement.
But the report, titled “Taking Action Against Systemic Racism and Religious Discrimination Including Islamophobia,” makes almost no recommendations that specifically target Islamophobia, despite months of controversy over the use of the term in the motion tabled by Liberal MP Iqra Khalid in December 2016.
The report does recommend Jan. 29 “be designated as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, and other forms of religious discrimination,” in response to requests from Muslim groups after six Muslim worshippers were killed in a Quebec City mosque shooting on Jan. 29, 2017.
On the one-year anniversary of the attack, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a statement about the shooting and the importance of fighting Islamophobia, but did not declare the day a national day of action.
Last week, the heritage department told the Post the government “has received and noted the proposal” from the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
Of the 30 recommendations, only one other specifically mentions Islamophobia, and only to say the government should “actively condemn systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia.”
The report does not recommend the creation of any new laws. M-103 itself is a motion, not a law.
The original motion, which called on the government to conduct a study and come up with an approach to eliminate racism and religious discrimination “including Islamophobia,” generated a firestorm of controversy last year. Conservatives claimed the motion would restrict free speech because, they felt, the term Islamophobia is poorly defined. During committee hearings, several witnesses expressed concern the motion would effectively stifle criticism of Islam.
But the recommendations outlined in the M-103 report target racism and religious discrimination in much broader terms. The report suggests the government should update the Canadian Action Plan Against Racism, published in 2005, and broaden it to include religious discrimination. Other recommendations call for the government to establish uniform guidelines and a national database for the collection of hate-crime data.
The report also recommends federal, provincial and territorial governments take a closer look at the comparability of education and credentials obtained outside Canada, to combat employment barriers. Other recommendations call for more funding for research and for law enforcement to investigate internet hate speech.
The report notes the committee heard “differing views on the use of the term Islamophobia,” but does not offer an accepted definition of the term.
In a dissenting report, the Conservatives cast doubt on the premise of the exercise, calling into question whether Canadians are living in an “increasing public climate of hate and fear,” as the motion states. Their report suggests the per capita rate of hate crimes has declined since 2009.
The Conservatives also listed 26 definitions of the term Islamophobia provided by different witnesses who appeared before the committee.
“The concerns raised, regarding the dangers of an over-broad definition, or of attempting to condemn ‘Islamophobia’ without defining which thoughts and actions are thereby also being condemned, were widespread,” reads the Conservative report.
In their list of recommendations, the Conservatives called on the government to “cease using the term ‘Islamophobia,’” and reiterate its support for freedom of speech and religion.
Conservative MP David Anderson said communities and faith groups want to tackle issues of discrimination themselves, without government interference.
“We don’t need the government to be overseeing every part of Canadian life,” he said, noting the Conservatives do agree with some of the report’s recommendations, including the need for better data collection.
“No one is denying that (discrimination) exists.”
In a supplementary report, the New Democrats accused Liberals and Conservatives of “political posturing” that diminished the committee’s work to tackle racism and religious discrimination. The report argues the government should have been more open to changing the language of the motion to include “an agreed-upon definition” of Islamophobia, but “partisan politicking” got in the way.
M-103 was passed by the Liberal majority in March following the Quebec City mosque shooting.