Overview
- The federal government honored the six men killed in the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack and urged Canadians to mark the ninth anniversary through the Green Square campaign and community actions.
- Ottawa highlighted its Action Plan on Combatting Hate, citing funding for security at gathering spaces, support for local initiatives, and a public guide to understanding and countering Islamophobia.
- Police-reported anti-Muslim hate crimes rose sharply, with 211 incidents in 2023—up 102 percent from the prior year—and 229 incidents in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.
- Muslim community leaders warned that political rhetoric fuels hostility, with the National Council of Canadian Muslims saying such messaging can give licence to those inclined toward anti-Muslim violence.
- Debate over Quebec’s secularism laws intensified as rights groups condemned Bill 21 and the proposed Bill 9 as discriminatory, even as the government defended them, with a Supreme Court challenge to Bill 21 scheduled later this year.