The Canadian Parliament Just Passed A Controversial Motion Condemning Islamophobia
Canada's House of Commons voted 201–91 in favour of M-103.
A motion condemning Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination passed in the Canadian House of Commons on Thursday.
The non-binding motion, M-103, calls on the government to “condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination," and to conduct a study on how to combat such discrimination.
The motion passed with 201 votes in favour, and 91 against.
The motion was tabled after tens of thousands signed a petition highlighting a “notable rise in anti-Muslim sentiments in Canada,” and calling for action. According to the most recent Statistics Canada figures, anti-Muslim hate crimes more than doubled in the three-year period from 2012 to 2014.
The motion took on added significance after a gunman entered a mosque in Quebec City in late January and opened fire on worshippers, killing six and injuring many more.
Although it didn't cause much of a stir when first introduced by Liberal MP Iqra Khalid, M-103 eventually became the subject of many rumours and conspiracy theories.
Many critics falsely claimed M-103 would lead to anti-blasphemy laws, making it illegal to criticize Islam in Canada.
A day before the vote, Khalid addressed some of the backlash to her efforts, reiterating that the motion "is not legally binding."
"In fact, M-103 serves as a catalyst for Canadians to speak out against discrimination and be heard where they may not have been heard before,” she said.
“Some other outrageous claims were made about M-103 and to that in simple and clear words, M-103 is not an attempt to create Sharia law. I vow to be the first person to oppose any motion or law that negatively impacts our multicultural, secular society. I assure you, M-103 does not.”
The vote on Thursday was along party lines. The governing Liberals and the New Democratic Party both voted in favour of the motion. Most Conservatives voted against.