Hello, everyone. What happened on Sunday in London – this
act of terrorism and of Islamophobia – is sickening.
It is heartbreaking. It’s hard to find words that are enough.
What can be said when yet another family has had their loved ones ripped away?
When a child is in hospital? When a community is in mourning?
So all I can say is this: To everyone who is grieving, who is angry,
who is afraid – your neighbours stand with you.
Your community stands with you. We will not let hate divide us.
This evening, I’ll be in London, Ontario to join with the community for a vigil.
Across the country, Canadians are holding each other in grief and in mourning.
When people leave flowers, when they light candles, when they check-in on neighbours
and friends, they remind us that the hatred of one person cannot and will not stand between
us. Last night, I spoke with the Mayor of London,
Ed Holder, and Nawaz Tahir, a representative of the London Muslim community.
I shared my condolences and we talked about what more we must do to keep our communities
safe. Islamophobia is real.
Hatred has consequences. And it must stop.
Whether through the Security Infrastructure Program, by cracking down on online extremism,
or by dismantling far-right hate groups, we will continue doing everything we can to fight
violence in every form. The consequences of doing anything less are
simply too great. We will continue fighting to end Islamophobia.
And we will continue doing everything it takes to ensure that everyone can walk safely down
the street. Hate has no place in our country. Not in London,
not anywhere. The Afzaal family in London was targeted because
of their Muslim faith. Worshippers in Ste. Foy were killed at prayer.
Mohammed Aslam Zafis was murdered at a mosque in Toronto.
Black Muslim women in Edmonton have been violently attacked.
And people across the country have faced insults, threats, and violence.
The list must not grow any longer. Islamophobia, and the horrific violence it
brings, must end. Today, non-Muslim Canadians are discovering,
often for the very first time, the insecurity and fear felt by many Muslim Canadians when
they go out in public. And Canadians are wondering what they can
do to help. How they can prevent our country from going
further down this dark path. Well, the next time you see a woman in a hijab
or a family out for a stroll, give them a smile.
Show them that they are respected; show them that they are loved.
And that they have friends and allies across this country who will stand with them and
fight for them. Together, we can counter this darkness and
this intolerance. Together, we will.
This has been a painful few weeks for so many people, and for so many reasons. As I said
last week, I am thinking of everyone who is grieving after the tragic discovery in Kamloops.
And so, today, I also want to speak about our shared journey of reconciliation.
Throughout the weekend, vigils and memorials were organized from coast to coast to coast
to honour all those who were the victims of the terrible residential school system.
Our government is continuing to accelerate our work on truth and reconciliation. For
example, we want to help families and communities find and honour children who disappeared at
these institutions. I know that many people will have seen the
Pope’s comments from a few days ago about the residential school system in Canada.
And we have all heard that what communities and families want – and need – is an apology.
Yesterday, I spoke with Archbishop Richard Gagnon of Winnipeg, who is also the President
of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as Bishop Joseph Nguyen from the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Kamloops. We discussed the importance of the Church
working with Indigenous communities to address the harm and intergenerational trauma caused
by residential schools in Canada. Thousands of Catholics are speaking up to
say that the Church must apologize. Canadians hear you.
The Church, the federal government, and all institutions must do the right thing and work
together with Indigenous communities for truth and reconciliation, to ensure that families
can mourn and heal. For our part, our government will continue
to acknowledge the truth. We will always be here for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis
Nation communities. As we work to right the wrongs of these residential
schools, we will continue to accelerate all of our efforts on reconciliation and on closing
the gaps that still exist. Today, there are tens of thousands of Indigenous
kids who now have good classrooms to learn in.
But there’s more still to do for other kids who don’t have the same opportunities.
In the last 5 years, we have supported hundreds of thousands of requests under Jordan’s
Principle. But there remains work ahead to ensure that
every child has the care they need. Since 2015, we have lifted over 100 long-term
drinking water advisories. But there are still more advisories to lift
and infrastructure to build. In other words, there’s still a long way
to go on the path of reconciliation. And, in partnership, we will never stand down
from that work. Thank you.