June 24, 2021
OTTAWA — Representatives of B’nai Brith Canada were invited to testify Wednesday on the topic of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVE) before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU).
Our Chief Executive Officer, Michael Mostyn, and our Senior Legal Counsel, David Matas, were prepared to present expert testimony to the committee on behalf of B’nai Brith. But the committee meeting was cancelled because of unrelated delays in the House of Commons.
Our submission is in the process of formally being presented to the committee.
To read our submission in full, CLICK HERE.
IMVE is an ever-present threat to the safety and security of all Canadians, and it must be addressed meaningfully by all levels of government.
Our submission emphasizes a number of important points, including:
- That the Government’s anti-racism strategy should be cast more broadly to attack ‘hate’ as much as ‘racism’.
- That all forms of hatred, from all sources, must be dealt with seriously.
- That community engagement remains key, particularly to prevent the emergence of religiously-based hatred and fear in Canadian youth. This includes creating opportunities for dialogue, appropriate training and cross-community partnerships.
- That hatred must be tackled early on, before it develops into radicalization and violence.
- That we must extol the principle that the right to freedom from hatred because of one’s religion must also exist on the same plane as freedom of expression.
- That we need a federal approach to racism that includes a much clearer and balanced focus on hate – one that is national in scope.
- That there must be more funding directed to civil society and academic programs to address violent extremist radicalization and recruitment. There must also be a national strategy for countering domestic terrorism.
To read our submission in full, CLICK HERE.
