Justice Committee on June 10th, 2024

Evidence of meeting #109 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was islamophobia.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Islamophobia and Additional Measures that Could be Taken to Address the Valid Fears that are Being Expressed by Canada’s Muslim Community

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Amira Elghawaby Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

Nadia Hasan Assistant Professor, School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, York University, As an Individual

Asif Khan National Secretary, Public Relations, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada

Boufeldja Benabdallah Co-Founder and Spokesperson, Centre culturel islamique de Québec

Fauzia Mazhar Executive Director, Coalition of Muslim Women of KW

Husein Panju Chair, Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association

Abdallah Yousri Imam and Executive Director, Ummah Society

Julie Macfarlane Emerita Distinguished Professor of Law, As an Individual

1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Macfarlane, I haven't had a chance to ask you any questions yet.

In your opinion, should we not put an end once and for all to discrimination, violence against the Muslim and Jewish communities, and all other forms of discrimination based on race, skin colour, gender or any other form? Have we not reached the point where we must ban all expressions of hatred from the public space? In short, shouldn't the promotion of hatred in Canada be prohibited, regardless of the reason given, including a religious text or an editorial?

1:20 p.m.

Emerita Distinguished Professor of Law, As an Individual

Dr. Julie Macfarlane

I think it's extremely important that we remain very vigilant about hate speech. I am a big supporter of the need to have hate speech principles to protect people, but I also think one of the things we do in our legal system is exclude any kind of reasoning—it's very interesting—that might be based on a religious text. If you see a Muslim woman trying, for example, to enforce her maher, the agreement she's made under Islamic law for an amount of money to be paid in the event of divorce, the courts won't accept any arguments that are based on references to religious texts. That seems to me to be completely ridiculous. I don't understand why we would not include references to religious texts as part of what we want to protect with respect to hate speech.

1:25 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Thank you, Ms. Macfarlane.

I'm done, Madam Chair. Thank you.

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab

Thank you very much.

For the next two and a half minutes we have Mr. Garrison.

Go ahead, please.

1:25 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

One topic that has not come up today is the role of the social media giants in furthering disinformation and hatred.

I'll start with Ms. Mazhar.

I wonder whether there have been any positive experiences from trying to work with the social media companies to stop the distribution of disinformation and hate.

1:25 p.m.

Executive Director, Coalition of Muslim Women of KW

Fauzia Mazhar

Thank you, Mr. Garrison.

For us, as a regional organization with very little capacity, few staff and all that, it's beyond our capacity to actually hold these big giants to any kind of account. We have seen a tremendous increase in the reporting of online hate, and it's coming from all parts of Canada. You wouldn't believe it—it's coming from Burnaby and Surrey and everywhere else. People want us to intervene. We are trying to learn how we can intervene in these cases. They've been sending us information, this year especially.

At this time, I don't have an answer. We don't have the capacity, but of course we look to the government to do things there. There is some accountability by these big giants.

1:25 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Thank you.

It's the same question for you, Mr. Panju. What about trying to hold them accountable for promoting hatred?

1:25 p.m.

Chair, Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association

Husein Panju

We're familiar with Bill C-63, which is currently before the House. It's a complex issue. I think there needs to be some more dialogue with our groups on a more directed basis. You're right: Equity-seeking groups like ours are often the victims and the targets of hate speech, but there also needs to be some more consultation to ensure that any such measures do not overly censor legitimate, non-hateful speech from equity-seeking groups as well.

1:25 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab

Thank you very much, Mr. Garrison.

As the chair, I would like to thank the witnesses in all our panels, and particularly the ones before me here. This completes this particular study.

As an Atlantic Canadian and a Nova Scotian, I want to thank you, Imam Yousri, for shedding some light on Atlantic Canada, because I feel that a lot of times it's a bit overlooked by the bigger centres. Thank you for talking about the training you are conducting with police officers and everyone else, and, of course, the many interfaith activities you've been organizing over many years, which I personally have attended. We all know these interconnections are so important.

Colleagues, it's 1:28 p.m.

1:25 p.m.

Imam and Executive Director, Ummah Society

Abdallah Yousri

Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab

Thank you very much for attending today. As I said, this completes this particular study.

In due course, you will receive, from the clerk, the activities for Thursday.

Have a good day, and we'll see everybody on Thursday.

Thank you very much.

The meeting is adjourned.