The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group has joined the National Council of Canadian Muslims, along with dozens of Muslim organizations and their allies, in calling on the federal government to designate January 29th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
Below is our full letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (PDF here).
You can join this call by taking action on the NCCM’s website, here.
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group is adding its voice to the call from the National Council of Canadian Muslims, supported by so many across the country, requesting that January 29 be designated a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
We believe a National Day would be an important and powerful way to remember the six Muslim men who were murdered at the Centre culturel islamique in Quebec City one year ago, as well as those who were injured and bereaved.
The killing of Azzeddine Soufiane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Ibrahima Barry and Abdelkrim Hassane marked the largest mass murder in Canada in the past 25 years, and the deadliest attack on a place of worship in Canada’s recent history.
It is imperative that this day be remembered, in the hopes of stamping out the racism and Islamophobia that inspired the shooter and others who perpetrate anti-Muslim acts of hate, which have drastically increased over the past several years.
Such a national day would also help people to focus their energy and efforts, allowing for positive links between communities, and new initiatives to promote equality. Already, we see interfaith, artistic and cross-community events being planned from coast to coast. Just imagine how powerful an official day of remembrance, similar to the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, would be.
In our work defending civil liberties in the context of national security, anti-terrorism and the “War on Terror” in Canada and internationally, we have seen how Muslims and Arabs in Canada have increasingly been stigmatised and scape-goated. The rise of the extreme-right, white supremacist and nationalist groups, and the backlash against immigration fuelled by spurious security concerns and racist stereotypes must be addressed. In the face of this, we must uphold that such a massacre must never happen again.
Attacks on one community, on one religion, on one race, are in reality an attack on us all. They tear apart the threads that bind us together as neighbours, allies and friends. The attack one year ago in Quebec City ripped at those threads.
We ask that you designate, by order-in-council or by proclamation, January 29th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, on or before the first anniversary.
Yours sincerely,
Dominique Peschard & Kevin Malseed
Co-chairs
International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
As we’ve said before, while Bill C-59 contains some positive provisions around new review and oversight bodies, as well as some changes to the criminal code, it does not go far enough and introduces many very problematic elements. Bill C-59 fits into the steady progression, since the first Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, of expanding and enshrining significant, secretive and dangerous powers in the hands of Canada’s national security agencies.
We’ve submitted an extensive analysis of Bill C-59 to the House Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU). In our brief, we present realistic and necessary recommendations, suggestions and areas of examination that we believe will help to strengthen not just Canadians’ rights, but also our security. A summary of our recommendations is listed below. You can read the full brief here. And share it on Facebook and Twitter.
We also testified at the SECU committee alongside our partner OpenMedia on February 8th, 2018. Watch our testimony here:
Part 1: The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
While welcome, the new National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) could be strengthened. Among other things, we recommend:
Increasing the number of members
Appointing NSIRA members through parliament and not through the Prime Minister
That the Agency be given binding powers
More precision and clarity in public reports
Greater accountability and transparency around how the agency will deal with public complaints
Part 2: The Intelligence Commissioner Act
The creation of the Intelligence Commissioner (IC) is also welcome, but needs serious strengthening, including:
Intelligence Commissioner appointments should be approved by a 2/3 vote in the House of Commons, and the position should be full-time
Increased public reporting and greater transparency in decision making
Stronger powers to impose conditions on surveillance operations
Oversight of cyber operations
Part 3: The Communications Security Establishment Act
Our recommendations include:
Narrow the Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE) new cyber-operations mandate, and place greater restrictions and oversight on what cyber actions the CSE can take
Take action to further restrict the collection of Canadian and foreign data, and to prevent mass surveillance operations
Include a definition of metadata and restrict its collection and use
Restrict the definition, collection and use of “publicly available information”
Increase human rights safeguards when sharing information with other countries
Part 4: Amendments to the CSIS Act
Our recommendations include:
Eliminate disruption powers brought in with Bill C-51
Remove provisions granting broad immunity to CSIS agents to break Canadian law
Restrict CSIS’ new data collection powers and increase its oversight
Restrict the definition, collection, and use of publicly available information as CSIS datasets.
Part 5: The Security of Canada Information Disclosure Act
We recommend that SCISA, established with Bill C-51, be repealed in favour of new legislation to protect privacy and information that is shared for national security purposes.
Part 6: Amendments to the Secure Air Travel Act
Our recommendations include:
Establishing effective and transparent processes for both redress and appeals
Ultimately repealing the Secure Air Travel Act (brought in with Bill C-51) and ending the No Fly List program in general
… we have a small favour to ask. Here at ICLMG, we are working very hard to protect and promote human rights and civil liberties in the context of the so-called “war on terror” in Canada. We do not receive any financial support from any federal, provincial or municipal governments or political parties.
You can become our patron on Patreon and get rewards in exchange for your support. You can give as little as $1/month (that’s only $12/year!) and you can unsubscribe at any time. Any donations will go a long way to support our work.You can also make a one-time donation or donate monthly via Paypal by clicking on the button below. On the fence about giving? Check out our Achievements and Gains since we were created in 2002. Thank you for your generosity!
January 29, 2018 marked the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Quebec City mosque that killed 6 men and wounded 19. ICLMG is committed to combatting Islamophobia as it is both a cause and a consequence of the racist foundations and applications of national security. To highlight this tragic event, we have put together this resource list against Islamophobia.
Despite many hateful incidents reported in the media in the last year, and the obviously Islamophobic character of the January 29, 2017 massacre, many people seem to think that Islamophobia is not real, and that the word was created recently to stifle free speech and criticism of Islam.
We know that this is not the case and that this belief is an attempt to divert attention from the very real Islamophobic attacks on Muslims. Others might be aware that Islamophobia is real, alive and kicking but be unsure how to combat it. Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of resources that may help you better understand and/or show others what Islamophobia is, and how to fight it. Feel free to use and share them widely!
BRIEFS FOR THE NATIONAL ACTION SUMMIT ON ISLAMOPHOBIA
NOOR CULTURAL CENTRE 2017 BRIEF ON ISLAMOPHOBIA IN CANADA
This brief was submitted by the Noor Cultural Centre to the parliamentary Heritage Committee, for its Motion M103 hearings on Islamophobia in Canada. The ICLMG has endorsed this brief. I highly suggest you read it and share it widely. http://www.noorculturalcentre.ca/?p=16629
… we have a small favour to ask. Here at ICLMG, we are working very hard to protect and promote human rights and civil liberties in the context of the so-called “war on terror” in Canada. We do not receive any financial support from any federal, provincial or municipal governments or political parties.
You can become our patron on Patreon and get rewards in exchange for your support. You can give as little as $1/month (that’s only $12/year!) and you can unsubscribe at any time. Any donations will go a long way to support our work.You can also make a one-time donation or donate monthly via Paypal by clicking on the button below. On the fence about giving? Check out our Achievements and Gains since we were created in 2002. Thank you for your generosity!