Gentlemen, thank you both for joining us.
I just want to explain to people because the space here is so tight
and we can't socially distance
that's why we have to wear the masks.
But we have to be together because this is a conversation we have to have.
Jeff, you know you wrote some pretty startling words about your experience door knocking in 2014.
Can you give us a sense of what you saw, what you experienced then?
Well it became evident when I first started canvassing
that I had a very different experience from the candidate in the election prior to me
and it was unique because Ali Chabar had run in an election 10 months prior to me
because it was a by-election so it was still fresh in the minds of everyone at the doors
that Ali had knocked on their doors.
And very early on when I would knock on the doors I would get a lot of comments
like oh boy, this is a surprise.
We're excited to see you knocking on our door.
And I remember people saying 'Oh, Jeff Bennett that sounds like a great English name'
and just those those sorts of comments.
And the first couple you're like you know that must be a once-off
but it happened enough over the span of the campaign
that I came to realize that Ali's experience running in London West was very different from mine
for reasons that should not have been.
[Adrienne] Mustafa, I know you read that post
and I wonder when you read it and when you listen to what Jeff's saying
how recognizable is that language to you?
So i mean first of all I think I have to commend Jeff for having the courage to stand up
and that's what every Canadian needs to do.
They need to stand up and confront racism
and islamophobia when they see it, as they see it.
In terms of how recognizable this is...
This is what Canada has unfortunately become.
This is not what any of us thought of.
This is not what any of us think of Canada but this is what and unfortunately how things have become.
This city, London has seen PEGIDA marches regularly.
Other kinds of horrible racist white supremacist
Islamophobia fuelled things.
It's not acceptable.
It needs to stop.
And it's by the way it's not just a London problem.
This is a Toronto problem, this is a Montreal problem.
This is a Quebec City problem.
This is an Alberta problem.
[Adrienne] This is a Canada problem.
This is a Canada problem.
So, Jeff you know it's one thing to write that but I think the question sort of I have
and you probably have it for yourself is what did you do about it in the moment?
What do you wish you had done?
I wish I had to spoke up more and use my voice more to to address this
and that's even why I wrote this this morning because I think it's ridiculous
that here we are in 2021 and this is still an issue that my friend Ali Chabar faces
and that this entire community faces
and people like me who grow up in a much more privileged position
we've just become too accepting of it and I hate that t takes something --
We're being reactionary here
like it takes a travesty for us to stand up and say, 'Oh, something needs to change here.'
I was aware of this seven years ago.
We were all aware of this five days ago and yet it takes this for us to gather.
I wish I had spoke up more seven years ago.
Is that the right approach?
I think that's that's definitely a huge part of it.
But there's so much more that needs to be done.
There's white supremacist groups that are actively militarizing, over 250 of them.
That's crazy
and it's something that has just become an accepted part of the Canadian experience
that we can have a group that calls itself the Klan, that calls itself the Soldiers of Odin
that calls itself the Three Percenters
and we're okay with that.
That needs to change because it for us it's like you have to have people die for someone
to say the word islamophobia.
That's not okay.
It needs to change.
Let's talk about that word because
in that mosque, our politicians
we know that that 91 politicians a few years ago.
Erin''OToole was one of them.
He did not did not sign on to a motion condemning islamophobia.
What is the net effect of that?
I mean i think obviously, I will note that Erin O'Toole has now utilized the word islamophobia
so has Blanchet who historically did not use the word islamophobia.
There was a unanimous consent motion in the House today about it
but at the end of the day the stance then was totally inappropriate.
Today the barest acknowledgement of the fact that this is happening
is like yes, it's the bare minimum
but it needs to go so much further than that.
Just like we're now in the position of having to thank people for saying that racism
that hate, that islamophobia is a real thing.
Astonishing.
One last thought because we began with you.
Do you have any thoughts for Mustafa, for the people here, Jeff?
All I can do is offer apologies that more hasn't been done
and that's what I even wrote in my post.
I'm sorry that i haven't stood up more in the past
but all I can do is try and change that going forward and I think we need more authenticity.
We need to recognize that this is systemic racism, it's embedded in our society
and we need to take steps every day.
All of us need to look in the mirror
and realize that we're a major part of it.
[Adrienne] Personal steps.
[Jeff] Personal steps.
Gentlemen, again, thank you very much for your time.
Very sorry that we're all here like this.