(CBC) Hampstead Mayor William Steinberg is facing growing pressure to apologize for saying Quebec’s proposed religious symbol ban amounts to “ethnic cleansing.”
But instead of apologizing, on Tuesday he opted to clarify his comments, referring to the ban’s effect as a “peaceful ethnic cleansing.”
“I’m not talking about genocide, shooting people, expelling people, none of that,” Steinberg said.
“This is much more subtle. But over time, it will have the effect of making Quebec a less diverse society and that just isn’t good.”
Steinberg made the remarks last Friday, when politicians in Montreal’s west end came together to speak out against the ban and vowed to organize opposition to Bill 21, which would ban some public workers from religious symbols.
