Fighting Hate: Combating the Rise of Hate & Violence
SITUATION:With escalating violence and hate being propagated on our streets and in our communities and country, MP Kevin Vuong has worked hard to be a voice advocating for peace and to ensure that Canada's laws are upheld. This includes fighting all forms of hate.
Actions Taken
Below is an overview of actions MP Vuong has taken to date in chronological order, beginning with the most recent:
November 15, 2023 - MP Vuong joins Forum Daily's David Clement to discuss the rise of antisemitism and violence targeting local businesses who have nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East.
November 6, 2023 - MP Vuong rose in the House of Commons questioning the Trudeau government on their efforts and the concrete actions that they have yet to take to combat antisemitism in Canada.
November 6, 2023 - MP Vuong joins NEWSTALK 1010's John Moore to condemn second incident of antisemitism in two weeks of a local business being targeted for harassment and vandalism because it is Jewish owned. Listen to the interview here.
November 2, 2023 - On the Alex Piersen Show, MP Vuong joins 640 Toronto guest host Anthony Furey to discuss the rising violence spilling out onto our streets after a Jewish woman was physically assaulted., discussing strategies to counter antisemitism and avert future violence. Listen to the interview here.Thatsame day, MP Vuong also joined the Jewish community in solidarity with Canada's Jewish community at the Spirit of Hope 2023 event. I reiterated to Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce my support for enhancing antisemitism education in our schools.
November 1, 2023 - MP Vuong joined other parliamentarians on the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Caucus to speak with Israeli and Canadian special envoys on antisemitism, focusing on the imperative to uphold and enforce Canada's hate propaganda laws.
October 31, 2023 - I joined other Parliamentarians to hear from the families of hostages, we stood united in our call for their liberation to pave the way for peace.
October 29, 2023 - At Queen's Park, MP Vuong joined Iranian and Jewish Canadians for a unity rally to advocate for the Trudeau government to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, express solidarity for victims' families, and call for the release of Israeli hostages.
October 26, 2023 - In the House of Commons, MP Vuong implored the Trudeau government to enforce Canada's hate crime laws rigorously, stressing that violent demonstrations in support of a terrorist organization should be disallowed, and the Israel-Gaza conflict should not be exploited to further any agenda. Exploiting the loss of innocent lives to incite further hostility is unacceptable.
October 24, 2023 - With the assistance of the Toronto Sun, MP Vuong called out Toronto's 24 Liberal MPs for their silence on the overt antisemitism at Cafe Landwer, urging for more proactive measures.
October 23, 2023 - On CP24, MP Vuong called out the unjust harassment and boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses, further emphasizing that ownership by a Jewish individual is no ground for such actions. See the interview below:
October 22, 2023 - Upon learning of the heinous antisemitic incident targeted a Jewish-owned establishment our constituency, MP Vuong stood with Cafe Landwer in denouncing the attack, affirming our collective stance that antisemitism is intolerable in our society and in Canada at large.
October 8, 2023 - MP Vuong publicly declared solidarity with Israel and its inherent right to self-defence against terrorism, condemning those who mistakenly glorify such acts of violence.
September 21, 2023 - In the House of Commons, MP Vuong raises significant concerns of alarming allegations of apartheid-era racism being perpetuated at Canada's High Commission in South Africa, calling for immediate action:
September 15, 2023 - MP Vuong speaks with Newzroom Afrika on the allegations of systemic racism within the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada that are manifesting in the High Commission in South Africa that is leading to disproportionate rejections and even outright bans on Black and Indian South Africans. He reiterates that what is transpiring is inconsistent with Canadians values and standards.
September 14, 2023 - With South Africa's national eNCA, MP Vuong reaffirms Canada's values towards equity, inclusion, and multiculturalism; reiterating that the alarming allegations arising from the High Commission in Pretoria is not living up to what Canadians expect of their representatives in South Africa.
July 25, 2023 - In a special op-ed for the National Post, MP Vuong highlighted the discriminatory municipal and federal responses to asylum seekers, predominantly from Africa and with many fleeing persecution for their sexual orientation, with city shelters closed to them and forced to struggle on the streets where other asylum seekers received assistance.
June 20, 2023 - In the House of Commons, MP Vuong sounds the alarm on overt and subtle racism at the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada at the High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa where Black and Indian South Africans are being disproportionately delayed or outright rejected in their applications to study, work, and visit Canada.
June 9, 2023 - With a surge in anti-Asian racism, MP Vuong raises concern about the Trudeau government's inaction in combatting foreign interference and how their inaction directly contributes to the questioning of Asian Canadians' loyalty. Watch his full remarks in the House of Commons here.
May 9, 2022 - With anti-Asian hate and violence spiraling out of control, MP Vuong advocates in the House of Commons for a dedicated strategy and representative to combat further escalation of anti-Asian racism.
March 28, 2022 - In the House of Commons, MP Vuong tabled Bill C-261, an Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech), which seeks to combat the growing incidents of hate propaganda and hate crimes and to make it a discriminatory practice to communicate hate speech via the Internet.
March 23, 2022 - In the aftermath of another attack on a GTA mosque, MP Vuong rose in the House of Commons to call for the Trudeau government to stop delaying its appointment of the Special Representative to Combat Islamophobia:
January 17, 2022 - When a GTA synagogue was vandalized with antisemitic grafitti, MP Vuong publicly condemned the act and raised further awareness on the concerning rise of hate in the Greater Toronto Area, as quoted in this Globe and Mail article.
November 30, 2021 - In the House of Commons, MP Vuong sounded the alarm on the rise of hate, including anti-Asian racism, antisemitism, and islamophobia, and called for the Trudeau government to take action:
