Absolutely. Number one, when it happens, call it out. Don't accept it. We know that political candidates and members of Parliament have Facebook pages. Let's face it: we all have people in our communities who are sometimes just categorized as loonies, haters, radicals, or whatever it may be. It applies equally to me, as well, as a faith leader. If there is someone in my community who is spreading hate or sharing messages that are inappropriate, whether it's on my Facebook page or anywhere else where I have control, it's my responsibility to call it out and to take action.
In my view, there should be zero tolerance for any type of hate, and for political leaders, I would say, the bar should probably be set a bit higher. If there's anyone who's spewing comments that are derogatory, spreading conspiracies that are unfounded, or spreading rumours, take action. Don't let it happen on your watch. That's number one.
Number two is to have training for your volunteers and your staff so they also know what's appropriate and what's not, and also so they understand the importance and the power of their words.
Third, bring in people from different communities to come and just talk to share their perspectives, because we've all got some learning to do, and you may disagree with what you hear. I go to churches, different places of worship, and different agencies to make presentations. I tell people that they may disagree with me 100%, and I have no problem with that, but I just want to share my perspective so you know where I'm coming from, and I also want to know where you're coming from.
Those are the baby steps that we can all take to start building understanding and respect for diversity.