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Muslim council cancels meeting with Trudeau over Liberal stance on hate crimes, Gaza

Jan 29, 2024 | 12:09 PM

OTTAWA — The National Council of Canadian Muslims has cancelled a scheduled meeting today with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying there’s no point in speaking with him.

Chief executive Stephen Brown says that’s because of Trudeau’s response to the situation in the Gaza Strip and his government’s failure to deliver legislation and funding to prevent hate crimes.

Brown says Trudeau has not followed through on promises he made to the Muslim community in the 2015 election that brought him to power. 

He says he sees no evidence Ottawa is willing to put pressure on Israel to ease its bombardment of the territory controlled by Hamas, whose brutal attack on Israel last October has provoked a massive military response.

And he argues Canada’s lack of support for an international court ruling last Friday that Israel must prevent a genocide of Palestinians shows the federal Liberals only support justice for some.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to Brown’s comments. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2024.

The Canadian Press