CONSERVATIVE Leader Pierre Poilievre said on Friday that Canada is our common home and that it is a place where people from all over the world have come to live and pursue their dreams. Canada is free, and freedom is its nationality. Conservatives defend these values. We must protect the freedom of all Canadians and stand for the values of freedom all around the world.
But too often in Canada now, we see disturbing acts of hatred and discrimination that threaten these values. These incidents include verbal abuse, vandalism, hate, intimidation and violent acts. These acts must never stand in our country, Poilievre said.
He pointed out that in recent years, we have seen diaspora communities face intimidation and threats by nefarious foreign actors. We have seen Jewish schools shot at and synagogues firebombed. We have seen churches burned down. We have seen Sikhs face harassment and discrimination. We have seen innocent Muslims murdered by vile monsters. We have seen Hindu temples vandalized. These shameful acts have one goal – to terrorize Canadians.
He added that this cannot be tolerated. All Canadians must be able to freely live their lives and follow their dreams without fear and intimidation.
Poilievre said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must take action to stop this surge in hatred. He must ensure the safety of every Canadian, regardless of their faith or beliefs. That is why, Conservatives are proposing the following common sense measures to protect Canadians:
1. Designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code and expel the estimated 700 Iranian agents operating in Canada.
Conservatives will also work to identify additional threats to Canada’s religious communities and list these threats as terrorist groups.
2. Establish a Foreign Influence Registry.
The Liberals have continued to break their promise that they would establish a registry. This would limit the influence that some foreign governments wield through intimidation within Canada’s diaspora communities.
3. Evaluate Canada’s threat assessment in light of UK travel advisory.
On November 3, the UK declared that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Canada.” We call on the Liberal government to evaluate the National Terrorism Threat Level and publish the results in the next CSIS public report.
4. Remove red tape and speed up access to the Security Infrastructure Program to protect communities at risk.
Conservatives will double the funding for the Security Infrastructure Program, simplify the application process and remove red tape to ensure timely access to the program. We will remove the need to demonstrate risk, which often means that an institution must experience a hate-motivated crime before being eligible for the program, and allow funding to be used for a broader list of expenses, such as paying security guards and training volunteers.
5. Create an Anti-Hate Crime Task Force to coordinate the protection of faith communities.
Conservatives will create Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams with the specific mandate to prevent hate crimes, protect those who are threatened by hate and prosecute offenders who commit such crimes against Canada’s faith communities.
Poilievre said: “Canada is free, and freedom is its nationality. [Former prime minister] Wilfred Laurier spoke these words 100 years ago, and they are as relevant today as they were in his day. People come from all over the world to Canada to pursue their dreams. They must be free to do so, free from fear and intimidation. Antisemitism and islamophobia are evil, full stop. And when evil occurs, we must speak out. When I’m Prime Minister, I will ensure that government, law enforcement and other necessary bodies have the proper tools to combat these crimes and that the law is actually enforced. Canada is a free country, and no one should be afraid to worship in peace.”
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman said: “The rise in antisemitic violence and all acts of hate in Canada are appalling and must be immediately addressed. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when these threats aren’t taken seriously. I wrote to the Liberal Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, on October 12, calling for immediate action to protect Jews and all Canadians from violence, but we’ve seen no action yet. Conservatives support common sense measures to protect all Canadians from religious discrimination and violence.”
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