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Turner Valley asked to back bill banning hate symbols

'With hate crimes on the rise across Canada, we must do everything we can to stop the spread of hate in our communities.'
Peter Julian
Peter Julian put forward a private member's bill that takes aim at symbols of hate.

New Westminster-Burnaby’s Member of Parliament is calling on Turner Valley to support his private bill that seeks to ban hate symbols under the criminal code.

“Everyone deserves to live in safety and dignity,” NDP MP Peter Julian’s letter to council reads.

But, over the past two years, he said, incidents of racism reported to police have increased at alarming rates.

“Tragically, we have seen an increase in Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny in our society,” he writes. “We see rising racism against Indigenous people, Black, Asian and other racially marginalized communities, while symbols of hate continue to be displayed and sold across our country.”

His bill, C-229, looks to prevent anyone from selling and displaying symbols that promote hate and violence against identifiable groups.

Julian re-tabled it in February and seeks municipal support and endorsement.

“This is an opportunity to join tens of thousands of Canadians in calling on the federal government and all MPs to ban the sale and display of hate symbols,” he said.

He pointed to the “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa as an example.

“Canadians witnessed vile and hateful genocidal displays of hate symbols such as Nazi swastikas and the flying of Confederate flags at the very centre of Canadian democracy.”

Banning such symbols, he said, is an important step the federal government can take now to make all Canadians feel safe and secure.

“With hate crimes on the rise across Canada, we must do everything we can to stop the spread of hate in our communities,” he said.

“Municipalities across the country are seeing the same trend in hate crimes. Hate and associated extremist ideology is spreading like wildfire on the internet. Even today, many Canadians are saddened by the lack of recourse against the display of symbols that incite hatred.”

Turner Valley council is set to discuss the letter during the March 2 meeting.

“The time for rhetoric is over: the time for action is now,” writes Julian.

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