(CTV) The debate over the constitutionality of Quebec’s secularism law is poised to go to the Supreme Court of Canada. On Wednesday evening, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) voted in favour of asking Canada’s top court to rule on Bill 21 […]
(Canadian Press) While a spokesman for [a] regional Muslim advocacy group warns Pierre Poilievre’s stand on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party’s relationship with Muslim Canadians, another advocate accuses the Liberals of only responding to their concerns for the purpose of […]
(CBC) The Quebec Court of Appeal has upheld the province’s controversial secularism law in a ruling on challenges to the law’s constitutionality released Thursday afternoon. The heavily anticipated judgment is 290 pages long and quashes a previous exception, made by Superior Court […]
(CBC) With Ramadan just around the corner, a national Muslim organization and several local congregations are warning members of Parliament they won’t be welcome in their mosques until they call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, demand restoration of funding for the UN’s aid agency and […]
(Global News) Nearly five years since the Quebec government implemented its secularism law, known as Bill 21, some of the province’s community groups say the legislation continues to have an impact on minority communities. The law bans certain public workers in positions […]
(CBC) The Social Justice Centre (SJC) at the University of British Columbia is suing a prominent Jewish organization and one former contractor for defamation after pro-Hamas stickers bearing the SJC’s logo were placed on campus in November. The stickers said “I [heart] […]
(Canadian Press) British Columbia’s Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson is stepping down over her remarks that modern Israel was founded on “a crappy piece of land,” after her repeated apologies failed to quell the outcry from pro-Palestinian groups and others. Premier David […]
(Canadian Press) The National Council of Canadian Muslims abruptly cancelled a meeting Monday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing his government of failing to protect Palestinians or take “tangible action” against hate crimes. “We no longer think it’s productive to speak with […]
(CBC) The principal of an Ottawa public school has apologized for asking an elementary school student to remove the Palestinian flag as their profile picture. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) confirmed the incident took place during an online class last week. […]
(CBC) Markham Public Library removed Islamic Heritage Month displays from its branches after it received complaints from the community amid the Israel-Hamas war, but put the displays back the same day following a management review, its CEO says. At a news conference on Tuesday, Catherine […]
(CBC) Markham Public Library apologized on Monday for an employee email posted online that suggested it was going to take down Islamic Heritage Month displays. According to images shared on social media of the email, Markham Public Library (MPL) was going to […]
(Canadian Press) When Pierre Poilievre pitches the Conservative party to Muslim Canadians, he talks about “faith, family and freedom.” For months he has been pointing out what he sees as their overlapping values during visits to mosques, at community celebrations, with businesses […]
(CityNews) Parents of six Muslim girls who attend Collège Citoyen, a private high school in Laval, north of Montreal, have written an open letter denouncing what their daughters went through, alleging staff at the school met with them in early September and […]
(Canadian Press) A Muslim organization and a civil rights group seeking to suspend Quebec’s ban on prayer spaces in public schools have been denied leave to appeal a court decision that maintained the ban. Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Robert Mainville ruled […]
(Canadian Press) A Muslim organization and a civil liberties group asked for permission on Monday to appeal a Quebec Superior Court ruling that denied their request to suspend the province’s ban on visible prayer in public schools. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association […]
(CityNews) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) say they are continuing to challenge Quebec’s school prayer ban. “We cannot stand for a situation where Quebec students are being bullied and subjected to a regime […]
(Canadian Press) A Quebec Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a request by a Muslim advocacy group and a civil liberties organization to suspend the province’s ban on prayer rooms in public schools. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council […]
(Canadian Press) Quebec’s ban on prayer rooms in public schools is harmful to Muslim students and should be suspended immediately, lawyers for a civil liberties group and a Muslim advocacy organization told a Montreal court Tuesday. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and […]
(Canadian Press) A civil rights organization and a national Muslim advocacy group are the latest to launch a legal challenge of Quebec’s decree banning prayer rooms in public schools, the second one in recent weeks. The National Council of Canadian Muslims and […]
(CBC) The Toronto District School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to develop an anti-Islamophobia strategy, becoming the second board in Ontario to move forward with such an effort. The move follows a motion that said internal data shows Islamophobia is the second-most reported form of “creed-based […]
(Canadian Press) Islamophobia and violence against Muslims is widespread and deeply entrenched in Canadian society, early findings from a Senate committee studying the issue indicate. Muslim women who wear hijabs — black Muslim women in particular — are the most vulnerable, and […]
(Canadian Press) Muslim groups are speaking out against the Quebec government’s intention to ban prayer spaces in public schools, saying they will monitor how the Education Department enforces its new rules. In response to reports that at least two Montreal-area schools had […]
(Canadian Press) The federal taxpayers’ ombudsperson is recommending better unconscious bias training for employees of the Canada Revenue Agency’s charities directorate. In a report Monday on the fairness of the audit process for registered charities, François Boileau said the training should be […]
(CTV) Via Rail says it is working to improve its diversity and inclusion policies after a Muslim man was told not to pray at the Ottawa train station. Via Rail and the National Council of Canadian Muslims, a civil rights and advocacy […]
(CityNews) A recent survey done by Angus Reid suggests Islamophobia within Quebec is more prevalent compared to the rest of Canada — with more than half of respondents in the province holding an unfavourable view of Islam. “It’s sad, but for someone […]
(Anadolu) A Toronto-area school board has become the first in Canada to introduce an anti-Islamophobia program. The Peel District School Board did its homework and found that about one-quarter of its 153,000 students — kindergarten through grade 12 in 244 schools — […]
(Canadian Press) The federal Conservatives are trying to reassure the World Sikh Organization of Canada that the party remains opposed to Quebec’s secularism law after its MPs voted in support of a provision the province used to create it. On Monday, the […]
(Global News) Canada’s first-ever special representative on combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, should be given “a chance” to do her job, Justice Minister David Lametti says. Elghawaby apologized on Wednesday for her past remarks about Quebec, which she made in an op-ed she […]
(CBC) Six years ago, a school board west of Toronto was making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Security had to be stepped up after racist outbursts at board meetings, a man was filmed tearing pages out of a Qur’an during discussions […]
(CBC) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of a special representative on combating Islamophobia that will advise the federal government on how to better fight discrimination against the Muslim community. Human rights activist Amira Elghawaby will be responsible for serving “as […]
(CTV) Dozens of Muslim philanthropic groups and several civil liberty organizations are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ensure that the taxpayers’ ombudsman office can access all the information it needs to conduct a systemic review of how the Canada Revenue Agency […]
(CBC) The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is facing criticism for using the slogan “Free Palestine” as an example of a label on clothing that could incite violence. The example appeared in guidelines outlining the new dress code for students. It sparked complaints from community […]
(CBC) Opponents of Quebec’s secularism law — known as Bill 21 — argued before the province’s Court of Appeal Monday that the CAQ government went too far in pre-emptively invoking the constitutional notwithstanding clause in order to protect the law from court […]
(CBC) The man recently fired from the top job at Alberta’s Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is suing the provincial government, specifically the justice minister, for what he alleges was a wrongful termination, malicious treatment and collusion that led to his removal from […]
(CityNews) Next month’s provincial election will have tremendous implications for Quebec’s Muslim community, according to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). The NCCM released its Quebec election policy guide this week, ahead of the Oct. 3 vote. The guide lays out […]
(Canadian Press) The Alberta government has rescinded the appointment of the head of its Human Rights Commission in a dispute stemming from a passage in a book review that has been criticized as Islamophobic. Justice Minister Tyler Shandro’s department did not formally […]
(Canadian Press) A day after Justice Minister Tyler Shandro publicly directed the head of Alberta’s human rights commission to quit, the commissioner’s office lobbed the issue back at him, saying it’s Shandro who does the hiring and firing. “The commission does not […]
(CBC) Justice Minister Tyler Shandro has asked Alberta Human Rights Commission chief Collin May to resign, responding to concerns raised by more than two dozen Muslim organizations. In July, May came under fire following the resurfacing of a 2009 book review he wrote that critics say highlighted […]
(CBC) Community groups are condemning the appointment of the new chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission and Tribunals, following the resurfacing of a 2009 academic book [review] in which he made Islamophobic comments. Calgary lawyer Collin May began his new five-year […]
(CityNews) Communities in Quebec are speaking out as the province’s premier said he and his party oppose multiculturalism. Quebec’s Premier François Legault said recently that he and his party oppose multiculturalism, adding that in Quebec there is only one culture that is […]
(Canadian Press) Organizations representing Sikhs and Muslims in Canada say they want Conservative leadership hopefuls to take a strong stand against Quebec’s controversial secularism law. Balpreet Singh, a spokesman for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, said when he met with Erin […]
(Canadian Press) An opposition bill aimed at fighting Islamophobia and other hate crimes was tabled in Ontario’s legislature Wednesday, but it was unclear if it would receive the support of the majority Progressive Conservative government. The bill from the New Democrats, if […]
(CBC) The interim editor-in-chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Thursday said the publication is formally retracting a letter it ran about hijabs that many have slammed as Islamophobic. Kirsten Patrick’s announcement comes days after she posted on Twitter, apologizing for the letter, which called the religious […]
(CTV) A recent letter published in a leading Canadian medical journal has stirred up debate — and controversy — around the hijab and prompted calls for a full retraction. On Dec. 20, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) published a letter, with […]
(CBC) As Mahmoud Mourra was out hunting on the prairie in southern Alberta, he came across a familiar sight in an unfamiliar location: the dome of a mosque, replete with minaret and crescent symbol. Only the mosque was not real. It was part of […]
(CBC) Quebec’s English school boards will have to abide by the province’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, until challenges against and in favour of the law are heard in court. The province’s Court of Appeal has rejected a request by the […]
(CBC) Leaders of Canada’s Muslim community are urging the Ontario government to take immediate action against Islamophobia and adopt measures they’re proposing to get to the root of “systemic discrimination.” Nadia Hasan, chief operating officer of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, on Monday discussed the […]
(CBC) The English Montreal School Board was before the Quebec Court of Appeal Monday, asking for an acceleration of its exemption to Bill 21, the controversial law that prevents some civil servants in positions of authority — including teachers — from wearing religious […]
(CBC) Strengthening street harassment bylaws, improving responses to hate-motivated attacks and calling out racist rhetoric are among the strategies some Edmonton mayoral candidates say they would use to tackle anti-Muslim hate. Five of the candidates vying for the mayoral seat took part […]
(CBC) Over the years, Nokha Dakroub has come face-to-face with racism and anti-Islamic hate during her work as a school trustee. Among the most vivid incidents were a series of meetings at her Mississauga, Ont., school board in 2017, when protesters spewed Islamophobic comments […]
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