Motion 103: Islamophobia Tag

26 Sep 2017 M-103

MP Iqra Khalid Parliament's Heritage Committee has started a round of public hearings that were mandated earlier this year with the passage of Motion 103. That motion instructed the Committee to "undertake a study of how the government could develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination, including Islamophobia.” ARPA lawyer John Sikkema has been watching some of the hearings in Ottawa, and he says it's becoming clear that the committee is broadening the focus of its discussions beyond just the term "Islamophobia". He says the motion...

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23 Feb 2017 M-103: A threat to free speech or much ado about nothing?

By John Sikkema Iqra Khalid, Member of Parliament for Mississauga, tabled her Private Member’s Motion, M-103, in December, 2016. The motion calls on the House of Commons to: (a) recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear; (b) condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and take note of House of Commons’ petition e-411 and the issues raised by it; and (c) request that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage undertake a study on how the government could (i) develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or...

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21 Feb 2017 M-103 Debate

MP Scott Reid A controversial motion which, if passed, will have the House of Commons Heritage Committee study the issue of religious discrimination – specifically including the term "Islamophobia" – had its first hour of debate in the House of Commons last week. There has been increasing opposition to the motion, largely because of fears that it will restrict criticism of a specific religion, and because the term "Islamophobia" remains undefined. The Conservative caucus drafted a motion of their own, which was similar but contained some important distinctions. Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MP Scott Reid said the...

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