The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NMC) has praised the Ontario government's decision to allocate half a million Canadian dollars (about $372,<>) to fund an education project in the state's schools aimed at fighting Islamophobia.
The council said in a statement on Friday that "the project will be held in the city of London, Ontario, where the tragic incident occurred in June 2021, when a person drove his car, ran over a Muslim family and killed 4 members."
1/4. In the aftermath of the tragedy that took #OurLondonFamily, we asked for policy changes to address #Islamophobia and hate in #Ontario and beyond. pic.twitter.com/t9ecsmFl31
— NCCM (@nccm) June 2, 2023
In a series of tweets, the council said, "Today, another step towards positive change was implemented. We welcome the Ontario government's commitment to the City of London's anti-hate pilot project."
"We also thank the London Islamic Mosque for partnering in this initiative, which is a necessary step in the right direction. We can all do more in the current fight against hate."
"We still have a long way to go, but we look forward to working with the County and the City of London to make public education about hate a top priority," the council concluded.
Josh Morgan, Mayor of the City of London, posted a video on his personal account, in which he announces his great happiness with the implementation of the project, which was called "The London Family", and Morgan stressed during the video his commitment to protecting and serving the Islamic community in the city.
I encourage all Londoners to show support for #OurLondonFamily.
Visit https://t.co/kKZmjpU7Xy where you'll find a variety of ways on how you and your family can get involved. #ldnont pic.twitter.com/zZfapHBV8M
— Josh Morgan (@JoshMorganLDN) June 2, 2023
Ontario Citizenship Minister Michael Ford tweeted in support of the decision, saying, "There is no place for hate in Ontario."
Hatred of any kind has no place in Ontario.
Today, I stood alongside @JoshMorganLDN and partners from Ontario's Muslim communities at the London Muslim Mosque to announce funding to support new initiatives to combat hate and build a stronger, safer and more inclusive London. pic.twitter.com/dAuFB6OA6F
— Michael Ford (@MichaelFordTO) June 1, 2023
"Today I stood alongside Josh Morgan and our partners from the Ontario Muslim communities at the London Islamic Mosque to announce funding to support new anti-hate initiatives and build a stronger, safer and more inclusive London," Ford said.
On May 6, the Ontario government announced a grant over the next two years of C$25.5 million ($19 million) to secure religious institutions and places of worship in the state against hate crimes.
Hate has no place in our province, and this government will not stand for it.
Honoured to join @MichaelFordTO , @BramptonGraham, and my #Brampton caucus colleagues to announce $25.5 million over two years to help faith organizations ensure their community spaces remain safe. pic.twitter.com/15XoTfzjC0
— Michael Kerzner (@MPPKerzner) May 5, 2023
According to the Ontario government website, "Up to C$10,7400 ($<>,<>) will be allocated to each of the state's places of worship, cultural and human rights venues, to better secure them from incidents motivated by hate, graffiti, vandalism or other damage."
The number of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada rose between 2020 and 2022, according to a report by the government statistics authority.
The report revealed that hate crimes reported by police increased by 71%, and hate attacks recorded an increase from 84 attacks in 2020 to 144 hate attacks in 2021.
The rise in hate crimes against Muslims in 2021 came with the killing of 4 members of one family in the city of London, Ontario. Police said at the time that the attack was "premeditated and motivated by hate", while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a "terrorist".
In 2021, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood in Canada issued a report listing 61 recommendations, which included the development of a federal strategy to combat the phenomenon, to include a clear definition of Islamophobia as well as funding to help victims of hate crimes.