Mr. Chair, I thank the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her comments and the point that she has made.
We do not have to look back decades to see anti-Semitism, its effects, and the fact that it existed. As the member said and as we have heard many times this evening, it very much still exists. I will give a live example of a very appalling, disgraceful, despicable, racist hatred movement right here in our own country that transpires and has transpired over the last couple of years in the summer in our provincial capital at Queen's Park in Toronto.
Quds Day is something that was initiated by the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Its purpose is to oppose Zionism. It calls for the elimination of the State of Israel.
This is what happens. The Liberal provincial government in Ontario has given permission to the organizers to organize this rally for Quds Day in the middle of the summer right in Toronto. We have seen unbelievable hatred and anti-Semitic activities transpire at these events, yet the provincial government is not responding to the call of the people, particularly the Jewish community but also the greater community at large, to stop providing the permit that allows these people to demonstrate in the way they have been.
A quick Google search produces images of some of the signs to be seen at this event right in the heart of Toronto. I will read off some of the signs that were held by the demonstrators there, some of who are children, I would say to my hon. friend from Saanich—Gulf Islands and to all of the members who are here this evening.
One of them says, “Israel, your days are numbered”. Others say, “For world peace, Israel must be destroyed”, “Israel is a terrorist regime”, and “Zionism is terrorism”. As if those are not appalling enough, one states, “Israel is a disease. We are the cure”. These are signs that were held by Canadians in the heart of Toronto in July or the end of June 2014. It was permitted to happen.
It is incumbent upon all of us—as citizens, as members of Parliament, as community leaders, as business people—to speak out so that these types of things do not happen in our community, because children see these acts and learn the wrong things from them.