Singh asks for an emergency debate on the increase of hateful attacks against Mosques and Synagogues

OTTAWA – Monday morning, the Leader Canada’s of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh, sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons to notify him that New Democrats will request an emergency debate on the numerous, recent attacks on places of worship. Singh gave notice to ensure all parties have an opportunity to clearly denounce these incidents and debate the urgent measures needed to prevent further harm to our communities.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe, whether you worship at a synagogue, or a mosque or a church. But that is not what is happening right now. People are afraid to go to their place of worship, when they should feel safe," said Jagmeet Singh. "The government keeps acting like everything is fine, but we can’t wait for another tragedy to take action. That’s why I’m asking for an emergency debate today. I also call on the Liberals to immediately improve and expand the Security Infrastructure Program to make places of worship safer, ensure that all major cities have dedicated hate crime units and combat online hate that is emboldening these acts.”

Over the last few weeks, there has been brazenly hateful acts perpetrated at the Islamic Society of Markham and the Bagg Street Shul in Montreal, which are among the oldest places of worship serving their respective communities in Canada. These horrific incidents are emblematic of the recent Statistics Canada data on the sharp rise in police-reported hate crimes, which reached a record high with a staggering 67 per cent increase in hate crimes targeting religion.

“There is no doubt about it. We are in an emergency,” said Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “I have received calls day after day this month about mosques being attacked across Canada. Enough is enough. This is not a partisan issue. This is an emergency that requires urgent action by all elected officials to protect our mosques, synagogues, and churches.”