The Communist Party of Canada today condemned the deadly attack by a masked gunman with assault weapons which killed 6 people and injured 19 more, who were at prayers in the Grand Mosque in St. Foy, Quebec Sunday night.
The Party’s Executive Committee expressed deepest sympathy to the families of those killed and injured in this heinous act of hate, and expressed its determination to unite Canadians to oppose and defeat the racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia being whipped up in the US, Europe and Canada today.“This attack is undoubtedly a consequence of the racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia fomented by National Front leader Marine Le Pen who visited Quebec last year, and the new US administration and President Donald Trump, who signed the Executive Order Friday to ban immigration, block refugees, and deny entry to those holding dual citizenship, from seven Muslim majority countries. The Canadian government, while prosecuting this gunman to the fullest extent of the law, must also unequivocally condemn the US government actions which are behind the murders in St. Foy, and those political forces in Canada and abroad which are also fanning the flames of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in this country,” said Communist Party leader Liz Rowley today.
The Party’s Central Executive Committee is calling on the Canadian government to:
- Officially protest and condemn the US government’s actions, and specifically the ban on Muslim immigration and refugees
- Open Canada’s borders to immigrants and refugees being refused entry to the US as a result of the ban
- Substantially increase the number of refugees and immigrants to Canada from Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, in response to the unprecedented refugee crisis created by US, Canadian and allied policies of aggression, war and “regime change”
- Rescind the Safe Third Country Agreement which prevents immigrants and refugees refused entry to the US, to enter Canada
- Eliminate the Designated Country of Origin list, which makes it virtually impossible for US citizens and citizens of forty other countries from claiming asylum in Canada
- Rescind the Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, motivated by Tory leadership candidate Kellie Leitch and passed by the Harper Tories’ majority government in 2015
- Rescind the draconian, anti-democratic and Islamophobic security state law Bill C-51, and abolish Security Certificates
- Abolish indefinite immigration detention, and create a path to residency and citizenship for undocumented workers and their families living in Canada
- Ban racists and fascists such as Marine Le Pen, Donald Trump and others who advocate hatred based on race, religion and gender, from entering Canada
“The US government’s path forward is a quick march to war and global catastrophe,” said Rowley, adding “the Canadian government must stand up to the reign of terror unleashed by the US government, and by President Trump – the most powerful terrorist in the world today. Canadians are making their voices heard in demonstrations and protests from coast to coast to coast. PM Trudeau must take a strong stand against the virulent racism, xenophobia, Islamaphobia, and homophobia, advocated by the fascist Le Pen, by Trump and the US government, and by some political parties and political leaders here in Canada. The time for action is now.”