Mr. Speaker, last week, the member for Northumberland—Quinte West asked a loaded and biased question regarding my support for Imam Zijad Delic, executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, in an attempt to mislead the House and to divide Canadians.
Statements made six years ago by a former president of the CIC were deplorable and utterly unacceptable. They have been completely disavowed by Dr. Delic. Under his leadership, the CIC is dedicated to building bridges between Muslims and other Canadians.
The Conservatives are attempting to depict me as someone who supports hatred, terrorism and anti-Semitism. I find this reprehensible and obviously untrue.
For 25 years I have worked with Jewish Canadians in the eradication of anti-Semitism, the promotion of Israel and interfaith co-operation.
More recently, I have brought a similar energy to the integration of Muslims into Canadian society. I relish my relationships with people in both communities and hope that I may play a small role in bringing these two worlds closer together.