News from ICLMG

ICLMG joins call for a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia

Credit: Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec

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.

For a list of events across Canada, click here.

 

24 January 2018

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

Our Brief & Testimony at the SECU Committee on Bill C-59, the National Security Act of 2017

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:

Don’t forget to take action to fix Bill C-59
and protect our rights!

Summary of Recommendations

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
Part 7: Amendments to the Criminal Code
We recommend:
  • Removing redundant “counselling terrorism offenses” provisions
  • Repealing the “Terrorist Entities Listing” process in favour of existing criminal code provisions
Part 9: Review
  • We recommend reducing the review period to five years for new oversight and review mechanisms and to three years for new CSIS and CSE powers.
What’s missing from Bill C-59
  • A strong review mechanism to look at the CBSA and its activities outside of national security.
  • Bill C-59 should include a provision that puts an end to the security certificate regime.

Read our full brief here.

Since you’re here…

… 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.

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Resources against Islamophobia

Credit: Lorie Shaull/Flickr CC BY

January 29th marks the anniversary of the attack on the Quebec City mosque that killed 6 men and wounded 19, as well as the National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia.

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!

ICLMG’S RESOURCES

Press release: New watchdog report finds government approach to counter-terror audits of Muslim charities is flawed, raises substantial concerns of bias and discrimination (2025)

Report: The CRA’s Prejudiced Audits: Counter-Terrorism and the Targeting of Muslim Charities in Canada + Action! (2021)

ICLMG’s 20th anniversary publication: Defending Civil Liberties in an Age of Counter-terrorism and National Security (2024)

Islamophobia and the ‘War on Terror’ – Monia Mazigh

What 20 Years of Injustice has Meant for Us – Sophie Lamarche Harkat

Loss of Human Rights in the ‘War on Terror’: The Case of Hassan Diab – Roger Clark

The Fight for the Return of Canadians Detained in Northeast Syria – Justin Mohammed

Canada Bring Them Home! – Xan Dagenais

Kids on Canada’s No-Fly List – Khadija Cajee

Fighting to Abolish the No-Fly List – Tim McSorley

ICLMG testifies at Senate committee for its study on Islamophobia in Canada (2023)

Vidéo: Countering Islamophobia in Canada: After 20 Years of the “War on Terror”, Azeezah Kanji in Conversation with ICLMG’s Tim McSorley​ (2021)

Briefs for the National Action Summit on Islamophobia:

National Security and Islamophobia in Canada, written by ICLMG, July 20, 2021

Islamophobia in Canada, co-prepared by ICLMG’s Tim McSorley and Azeezah Kanji from the Noor Cultural Centre, July 22, 2021

Azeezah Kanji, Always Already Suspicious: The Inherent Racism of National Security, transcript of talk at ICLMG Fall Assembly, 2017.

REPORTS DOCUMENTING ISLAMOPHOBIA

Islamophobia Research Hub (2025). “Documenting the ‘Palestine Exception’: An Overview of Trends in Islamophobia, Anti-Palestinian, and Anti-Arab Racism in Canada in the Aftermath of October 7, 2023.” Islamophobia Research Hub, Toronto: York University.

The Canadian Guide to Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia: For a more inclusive Canada, Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, 2024.

Islamophobia on the rise: Taking action, confronting hate and protecting civil liberties together, Report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, 2024.

Combatting Hate: Islamophobia and its impact on Muslims in Canada, Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, 2023.

Amnesty International UK (2023). The Prevent duty and its chilling effect on human rights.

EDUCATION

islamawareness.ca: A series of excellent courses for educators, schools and other learning environments, along with other important resources including toolkits, videos and infographics, from the Muslim Association of Canada.

islamophobia-is.com:

5 excellent short videos explaining the several facets of Islamophobia

Extensive list of resources to fight Islamophobia

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