OTTAWA — Today, the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) and Project 1907 released a scathing report, “Another Year: Anti-Asian Racism Across Canada Two Years Into the Covid-19 Pandemic”. The report confirms a recent Statistics Canada analysis of the juristat article of the Police-Reported Hate Crime 2020 which showed a staggering increase of anti-Asian racism and other forms of hate and discrimination since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Urgent action is needed to combat racism, hate and discrimination
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown a harsh light on the deep socio-economic inequalities experienced by the most vulnerable populations in Canada,” said NDP MP Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster). “Tragically, we are witnessing a considerable increase in Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny in our society. We see rising rates of racism and violent crimes against Indigenous people, Black, Asian and other marginalized communities and an increase in the number of hate groups in Canada. We must act to put a stop to these injustices.”
Statistics Canada reported a total of 943 racist incidents which is an overall increase of 32% from 2020-2021. A large percentage of the people targeted by these incidents are women, transgender, gender non-conforming / non-binary and young racialized individuals. Julian tabled Motion M-14 and Bill C-229 in the House of Commons, that aim to put a stop to these racist incidents and ensure safer communities for all.
“In this parliament, I have tabled two important legislative tools to tackle racism, hate and discrimination,” said Julian. “I am calling on all Canadians and parliamentarians to support both bills that aim to ban symbols of hate and to require from government swift action to counter all forms of hate and discrimination, and hate crimes.”
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Media Contact: Doris Mah, 604-353-3107 / [email protected]