The filed record
Standing against Islamophobia - by Mayor John Tory, seconded by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong
The Public Gallery wrote no story on this item. What follows is the city’s own record of what happened to it, as filed: nothing on this page is summarised or scored by us.
The decision
2021-06-08 · Toronto City Council · amended
As filed
City Council on June 8 and 9, 2021, adopted the following: 1. City Council express its condolences to the family and friends of the London, Ontario family killed on Sunday night in what police have confirmed was a targeted and intentional Islamophobic attack. 2. City Council condemn in the strongest terms possible this act of Islamophobia and all such acts, and restate its commitment to an inclusive and welcoming City for all Toronto residents.
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3. City Council condemn white supremacy in the strongest possible way and commit itself to work with all levels of government to end all hate-motivated speech and crimes, including Islamophobia. 4. City Council condemn politicians and governments of all political backgrounds who promote hate, including but not limited to xenophobia and Islamophobia for political gain. 5. City Council denounce the Quebec Charter of Values as it is inherently biased toward people of faith and in particular Muslim women for its ban on the hijab and other head coverings 6. City Council call upon the Government of Canada to immediately introduce and strengthen laws to address online hate speech including white supremacy and the distribution of hateful materials targeting minority groups, including Muslims. 7. City Council call on the Provincial Government to reinstate the anti-racism directorate funding. 8. City Council urge our Provincial Crown Attorneys to aggressively pursue justice in acts of hate against our Muslim Community to send a message that Islamophobia and other forms of hate are not acceptable and will result in legal consequences. 9. City Council support the call from the National Council of Canadian Muslims for a commitment to implement a National Action Summit on Islamophobia with the participation of the Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments. 10. City Council commit to relaunching the Toronto For All anti-Islamophobia public education campaign. 11. City Council direct the City Manager, in partnership with relevant City divisions, to support diverse Muslim organizations to work with community members on how to report hate crimes, as outlined in Action 17.3 of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. 12. City Council direct the City Manager, in partnership with relevant City divisions, to investigate creating a community table to develop an anti-hate strategy with anti-Islamophobia as a pillar of that strategy and to ensure that it is done in partnership with the Muslim Youth Fellowship program, as outlined in Action 17.3 of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism and reviews City policies, practices, services, gaps and the ability to implement change based on those recommendations. 13. City Council request the City Manager to report to the Executive Committee before the 2022 Budget Launch on permanent funding sources for the Muslim Youth Fellowship program and to decrease the reliance upon community fundraising for these positions.
The vote
Adopt Item as Amended · Carried, 25-0
The whole record, all 26 members
- Ana BailãoFor
- Anthony PerruzzaFor
- Brad BradfordFor
- Cynthia LaiFor
- Denzil Minnan-WongFor
- Frances NunziataFor
- Gary CrawfordFor
- Gord PerksFor
- James PasternakFor
- Jaye RobinsonFor
- Jennifer McKelvieFor
- Joe CressyFor
- John FilionFor
- John ToryFor
- Josh MatlowFor
- Kristyn Wong-TamFor
- Mark GrimesFor
- Michael FordFor
- Michael ThompsonFor
- Mike ColleFor
- Mike LaytonFor
- Nick MantasAbsent
- Paul AinslieFor
- Paula FletcherFor
- Shelley CarrollFor
- Stephen HolydayFor
Every name opens that member’s record.
On the agenda
As the city filed it
On Sunday, June 6, 2021, a family of five were deliberately targeted due to their Mulsim faith and attacked in London, Ontario. Four innocent people - a 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, and a 15-year-old girl - were killed and a young boy, 9, remains in hospital. London Police have said they believe the innocent victims of this horrendous act were murdered because of their Islamic faith. London Mayor Ed Holder has called this mass murder of three generations of a family an unspeakable act of hatred and Islamophobia.
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We join our neighbours in London in mourning this family and comforting the Muslim Community in London, in Toronto and across Canada. We should never hesitate to say that and to call out those perpetrating acts of hatred against our Muslim Community when we see them. This incident of Islamophobic violence and other acts of hatred increase fear in our Muslim Community. It is so important at this time to stand with the Muslim Community in London and here in Toronto in the face of this tragedy. And to absolutely reject the hatred and Islamophobia that led to this deadly violence. We welcome and embrace our Muslim faith community here in Toronto and across Ontario and we will not tolerate any attacks on them or their places of worship. Islamophobia has absolutely no place in our City and our society. The mass shooting in Quebec City, the stabbing here in Toronto at the IMO, this tragedy in London and many other less high profile incidents tell us we have much to do to live up to our values which tell us to embrace each other, not stigmatize and never hate. As a City, we have been working to try to combat these acts of hatred. One of the first Toronto For All public education campaigns was focused on confronting Islamophobia. We have also created the Muslim Youth Fellowship at City Hall to break down barriers and to ensure voices from our Muslim communities are represented in decision-making spaces. More than 30 fellows have worked at City Hall over the last three years. This year, we have also increased funding for the Toronto Police hate crime unit to ensure our enforcement officials have the resources they need to combat Islamophobia and hate-fuelled violence targeting any community in our City. We remain deeply committed to this work in our City and we express our solidarity with the family and friends of the victims in London, to all of the members of the Muslim Community in London and to all members of the Muslim faith community here in Toronto.
Staff recommended
Mayor John Tory, seconded by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, recommends that: 1. City Council express its condolences to the family and friends of the London, Ontario family killed on Sunday night in what police have confirmed was a targeted and intentional Islamophobic attack. 2. City Council condemns in the strongest terms possible this act of Islamophobia and all such acts, and restate its commitment to an inclusive and welcoming City for all Toronto residents.
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3. City Council urge our Provincial Crown Attorneys to aggressively pursue justice in acts of hate against our Muslim Community to send a message that Islamophobia and other forms of hate are not acceptable and will result in legal consequences.
On the record
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