'This was a terrorist attack,' PM Trudeau says as MPs reflect on Islamophobia after family killed
The alleged hate-motivated killing of four family members in London, Ont. prompted federal political leaders to reflect about Islamophobia in Canada on Tuesday during special speeches in the House of Commons, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the killings a “terrorist attack.”
“Lately, a lot of Canadians have been enjoying evening walks to get a bit of fresh air after long days at home during this pandemic. On Sunday, in London, Ontario, that’s what a grandmother, two parents, and two children went out to do… But unlike every other night, this family never made it home,” said the prime minister.
“Their lives were taken in a brutal, cowardly, and brazen act of violence. This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities.”
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, and Green Party parliamentary leader Elizabeth May also gave speeches mourning the losses, condemning the attack, and calling for change.
According to police, on Sunday evening five members of the Afzaal family were out for a walk when a 20-year-old London, Ont. man driving a pickup truck mounted a curb and hit them. Police say the family was targeted over their Muslim faith.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna and Salman's 74-year-old mother were killed, while Fayez Afzaal, 9, survived the attack and is recovering from “serious injuries," according to a statement released to the media by a family spokesperson.
The driver, Nathaniel Veltman, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair led off the government responses during question period on Tuesday, calling the attack “an act of hatred and of terror.”
Trudeau said that he doesn’t see how Canadians can still say racism and hatred don’t exist in this country, when there is a child in a hospital bed who just lost his closest family members.
In his remarks, O’Toole said that nine-year-old Fayez Afzaal deserves a better Canada than the one he saw on Sunday evening and that he needs more than others’ grief.
“Freedom to worship can’t exist without freedom from fear, and every Canadian has a right to that,” O’Toole said, going on to quote a passage from the Qur’an.
Singh, who lived in London, Ont. for five years, delivered impassioned remarks, questioning how many more innocent lives will be taken by hatred and intolerance in this country.
“I love my home. I love this place. But the reality is this is our Canada… Our Canada is a place where you can’t walk down the streets if you wear a hijab, because you will be killed,” Singh said. “The reality is our Canada is a place of racism, of violence, of genocide of Indigenous people, and our Canada is a place where Muslims aren't safe.”
Before the statements in the House of Commons, MPs held a moment of silence for the victims of the attack, which has left Canadians, and particularly members of the Muslim community, reeling. The Senate also observed a minute of silence when its sitting began on Tuesday.
'WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIVIDE PEOPLE'
The family statement issued on Monday called for everyone, from politicians to the public, to "stand against hate and Islamophobia" in favour of humanity.
In the last several years, Statistics Canada has documented a marked increase in reported hate crimes, with data from 2019 indicating more incidents targeting the Muslim population.
Throughout the remarks in the House on Tuesday, this was a common thread, with federal political leaders reflecting on the ways Islamophobia has been, as Singh put it, “used for political gain.”
“Politicians have used Islamophobia for political gain. They have. They have used it as a divisive tool, that has to end,” Singh said. “If you have used Islamophobia for political gain, thinking ‘I can divide people and get votes,’ this is a result of it. This is what happens when you divide people. You inflame hatred and people die.”
This, and other killings and violent attacks of Muslims in this country in recent years are examples of how Islamophobia is present in Canada, Trudeau said, adding that while Canadians are outraged by what happened on Sunday, Muslim Canadians are scared.
“It has to stop,” said the prime minister, pledging to do more as a federal government to stamp out hatred online and offline, and protect vulnerable communities and places of worship.
“Words matter. They can be a seed that grows into an ugly, pervasive trend. And sometimes, they lead to real violence. The jokes that are not funny, the casual racism… the polarization we too often see in our public discourse and in our politics. As leaders and as Canadians, we not only have to say: enough is enough, we must also take action,” said Trudeau.
Though, when facing questions from reporters about whether he should be speaking out more strongly against Bill 21 in Quebec which bans public servants from wearing religious symbols at work, Trudeau said that while he disagrees with it, he doesn’t think the bill encouraged hate or discrimination.
“Provinces have the right to put forward bills that align with their priorities,” Trudeau said. “It is for Quebeckers to challenge and defend their rights in court, which they have been doing.
Referencing a contentious motion passed during the last Parliament—motion M-103, which among other things called for the House to condemn Islamophobia—May said that when it was up for debate, MPs from all sides were shown the Islamophobia within Canada.
At the time, 91 MPs voted against the motion, including the majority of the Conservative caucus, including O’Toole, citing freedom of speech concerns.
“If I ever again see a political party try to divide us based on someone wearing a hjiab, let’s call that out,” May said, referencing the 2015 Conservative federal election campaign proposal to prohibit Muslim women from wearing a niqab while taking the oath of citizenship. “Let’s make sure that we say to all of the Islamic community of this country: From the bottom of our hearts, we ask for your forgiveness that we let this hatred live among us.”
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, who doesn’t have a seat in the House, delivered her remarks from a separate room on Parliament Hill. She called for a national anti-Islamophobia strategy to be developed, separate from the existing Anti-Racism Strategy set up by the federal Liberal government.
“We have to acknowledge that hate has been on the rise in Canada,” she said. “It is the duty of all levels of government and all people, to identify, expose, and root out white supremacist movements, and to ensure that those who promote or disseminate such ideologies know that there will be no safe place, no dark corner, where their beliefs will be allowed to flourish.”
POLITICAL LEADERS ATTENDING VIGIL
O’Toole and Blanchet will be joining Trudeau on the Challenger to fly to London, Ont. to attend a vigil planned for the four family members killed. Singh and Paul will also be travelling to attend in person.
The vigil is scheduled to happen Tuesday night at the London Muslim Mosque, with distancing protocols observed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you need mental health help in the wake of the London, Ont. vehicle attack, support and resources are available here.
With files from CTV News’ Ryan Flanagan.
IN DEPTH
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.
Local Spotlight
A tiny critter who could: Elusive Newfoundland Marten makes improbable comeback
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
'I was just like, holy cow!': Saskatoon dumpster divers reclaim wasted valuables
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario to balance budget ahead of 2026 election, citing delay due to 'economic uncertainty'
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.
Business owner disappointed in police efforts to locate $500K worth of stolen e-bikes
The owner of an e-bike business says he has doubts police will find the roughly $500,000 worth of product that was stolen from a shipping container last week, while police say he “complicated” their investigation by posting video of the theft.
Costco begins using verification scanners at some Ottawa stores
At least one Costco store in Ottawa has implemented a digital card scanner for member entry, a departure from the traditional in-person card check, in an effort to crack-down on shoppers who have not paid a membership fee.
How to safely view the solar eclipse using household materials
With the solar eclipse just a week away, it’s time to think about how to safely view the celestial show.
Calgary's Tegan and Sara call out Alberta government at Junos
Calgary singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara were honoured at this year's Juno Awards for their efforts to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth.