Canada's Vulnerable Muslim Community

Unfortunately, the hijabi ladies in Canada continue to be in trouble again after the Paris-massacre which was carried out by the cruel ISIS terrorists. Probably, the frustrated hate mongers are over-reacting due to the scheduled arrival of 25000 Syrian refugees to Canada. Nevertheless, the reaction appears to be based on multiple factors including bias against people who practise religion of Islam. Here again, Harper era is to blame for the spread of anti Muslim feelings irresponsibly. Although, days of "politics of fear" are over and there is no divisive politics any longer, yet the side effects are appearing now.
Besides burning of a mosque in Peterborough Ontario, the misled cowards are making trouble for the hijabi females.
Recently, A hijabi lady was on her way to pick up her kid from school in Toronto; she was attacked and badly injured by the anti Muslim rascals.
Hardly a couple of days later, two Muslim women riding the TTC were called "terrorists" and pushed. Luckily, a bystander stopped the train to get help.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said two women wearing hijabs were on the eastbound train between Bloor and Sherbourne stations "doing nothing but minding their own business" when two men and a woman began taunting them. "They were making racist comments towards these women, suggesting they must be terrorists and were going to blow up the train," Ross said.
Also Metrolinx officials found racist graffiti directed at Muslims in a washroom on a GO train coach and they responded quickly.
"We have absolutely no tolerance for discrimination or racism," Metrolinx spokesman Anne Marie Aikins said. "This illegal act of vandalism is deeply offensive and in no way reflects our organization’s values.
"We extend our sincerest apology to any customers who may have seen the offensive post. As soon the graffiti was discovered by our staff, the coach was taken out of service so it could be removed. We are also conducting an investigation to determine if we can identify the person or persons responsible."
don.peat@sunmedia.ca　
cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/muslim-women-subway-slurs-1.3326281


TTC condemns incident, says it has 'zero tolerance' for anti-Muslim behaviour
Mohamed El Rashidy, a lawyer with the Canadian Arab Federation, said there's been a spike in hate crime numbers this year — though many more go unreported. "People are calling me and they're scared," he told CBC News. "We say enough. We call on all Canadians to come together," said Debbie Douglas, executive director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. She pointed out that the recent attacks have been both Islamophobic as well as sexist, as it's primarily hijab-wearing women who have been the target of attacks.

Blaming Muslims for the Paris attack, and being fearful of all Muslims, including Syrian refugees, is like holding all Christians responsible for the atrocities we know as the Inquisition, Crusades, Wars of religion, KKK, Slavery, and anti-Semitism.
Thought provoking: Right after the Paris attacks the shares of the entire major US defense contractors soared.
Fact is there is a lot of racism in Canada, however, Islam is not a race. White people, black people, brown people and Asians can be Muslim.
Note: Some people out there are always looking for an excuse to attack immigrant communities.
​Peterborough-Kawartha　MP　MaryamMonsef, a Muslim who came to Canada as a refugee from Afghanistan 20 years ago, said she was "shaken up" by news of the fire.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement on the fire that took place at the mosque in Peterborough:
"I am deeply disturbed by the fire that took place at the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association’s mosque in Peterborough on November 14, 2015.
"The values that make our country great are values that celebrate our diversity and our religious tolerance. Canada is a country that is strong, not in spite of our differences, but because of them. Muslim-Canadians contribute enormously to the social and economic fabric of our nation, and Canadian authorities will not abide innocent and peaceful citizens being targeted by acts of vandalism and intolerance.
"The recent terrorist attacks in Paris have shocked peace-loving people in all countries around the world. We must remain focused on those responsible for the atrocities committed in France. It is equally important for Canadians to understand that Muslims around the world are also being persecuted regularly by these violent extremists. We are in this together.
"To the families who attend the mosque for prayer every week, the Government of Canada and our law enforcement agencies will protect your rights and make every effort to apprehend any perpetrator. I hope your mosque will be open for prayer again very soon."
Trudeau ‘deeply disturbed’ by Peterborough mosque fire
In a statement the Prime Minister assured Muslim Canadians the country’s law enforcement agencies will work hard to find those responsible for what is being investigated as a hate crime. Community leaders in Peterborough, Ont.,　where a mosque was set aflame over the weekend, came together on Monday　to condemn the attack, which police are investigating as a hate crime.
Thank you Mr Trudeau! You are a true Canadian leader!　
Summing up:
No one is above the law, so I am confident that our justice system is intact.
Intelligent Canadians continue to blame individuals and not race nor religion for the actions of these cowards.
ISIS is using Islam as their weapon, so we can't be stupid enough to blame an entire religion (and its followers) for ISIS. It's just fuelling hatred and division, which is what ISIS wants us to do!
Canadians have to protect themselves not just from outside threats like ISIS, but also from falling prey to prejudice.
Those who attack innocent Muslims living peacefully are just helping ISIS terrorists in their cause.
Terrorists have no religion; ISIS is so organised as to kill innocent Muslims and other innocent people around the globe.
The media should act more responsibly by not sensationalizing the issues of grave concern.
.Terrorism in any form is unacceptable in Canada.
During Oct elections, Canadians have rejected those who love wars.
Salutation to the Liberals: They are in favour of peace keeping role under the banner of U.N.

Challenges for the Ambitious Trudeau

Challenges for the Ambitious Trudeau

(Adv TariqMJaved) 13 Nov 2015

Fairly speaking, hiring the best person for the job regardless of gender, creed, color or ethnicity is the best thing to do, indeed. This means a cabinet with more men than women, or more women than men is fine either way because of merit system.

On the contrary, if there is a 50% female quota, there is denial of the opportunity for a more qualified person. Women make up just over a quarter of the Liberal caucus, yet they have captured half of cabinet which is beyond understanding.

The problem with quota system: It may keep a more suitable person away from the position unfairly as true merit is most likely to be compromised.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau selected 50 female federal liberal MPs for his cabinet fulfilling his promise of honouring gender parity (50-50 gender quota) first time in the history of Canada.

Furthermore, there are 18 rookies, 2 aboriginals, 2 disabled people, one Muslim lady and 4 Sikhs in his cabinet now.

First female Muslim Minister Maryam Monsef from Peterborough (Ontario) has been appointed Minister of Democratic Institutions. This important portfolio goes to this young lady who came at the age of eleven from Afghanistan to Montreal as a child with her widow mother and two sisters seeking asylum. And the family drove to Peterborough Ontario to settle for good. Wow!

A brand new prime minister has to cope with new and stale-challenges transferred from the Harper era: First scenario happens to be the rejection of proposed Keystone Canada-U.S. pipeline. President Obama under domestic political pressure had to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Killing the pipeline allows him to claim aggressive action on the environment. 

Shortly after the rejection announcement, Prime Minister Trudeau issued a statement saying his government is disappointed by the decision but respects the right of the United States to make it. He added further that the Canada-U.S. relationship was much bigger than any single project. Despite the disappointment, Trudeau signaled Ottawa’s willingness to work more closely with the U.S. officials on energy and climate change.

Positively, PM Trudeau seeks a new beginning with U.S.

The negative decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline has divided petroleum interests and environmentalists for more than seven years which is economically painful. President Barack Obama capped a seven-year cross-border drama by rejecting the Keystone XL project, while Prime Minister Trudeau has promised quick action on climate change.

Hopefully, the U.S. officials would soon open talks with the Canadian officials for stepping up cooperation on energy and global warming. This would pave the way for cooperation between Obama and Trudeau on ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets in advance of UN COP21 climate-change talks in Paris some times in December.

Furthermore, the Canadian government supports the proposed $12 billion Energy East pipeline as economically sound recipe. This pipe line, from Alberta across the country to New Brunswick, now appears to be the most viable option for getting oil sands-derived petroleum to market abroad despite the stiff opposition from environmentalists.

Also, Trans Canada seems committed to building Keystone XL and has not ruled out filing a new application for a presidential permit.

Other development is more balanced approach to the Israeli Arab situation: Mr Dion, (Minister of Foreign Affairs) announced this week, that the Liberals are calling an end to Israel's special-relationship, and we will now see a more balanced approach to the Israeli Arab situation. Trudeau is making the right decision. We should not become one with the terrorists, unnecessarily being part of the slaughter. We should be targeting more of the humanitarian aspects, focusing on diffusing the situation.

Also high on Mr McCallum’s priority list is the Liberal plan to speed up processing times for family reunification, as a part of a renewed approach to immigration.

In the short term, McCallum said the most pressing issue for his department is the Liberal commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by year’s end. He said the government is still working toward that target, but is also determined to do proper security and health checks along the way. He said the public service is working “around the clock,” looking at every option to get Syrian refugees to Canada.

“Air transport, either commercially or through the air force, is possible, as is transport by ships. All of those things are being looked at and we will choose the most efficient and cost effective way to bring this about.”

Housing the Syrian refugees upon arrival: Options are military bases, the Red Cross and Syrian families in Canada.

Summing up:

There is a need to improve Alberta's environmental record and reputation so that we can achieve our goal of building Canada’s energy infrastructure, including pipelines to new markets. (The Canadian Press)

One must remember that the purpose of a democratic society is to listen to each others.

Canada should continue to strive for normalising friendly relationship with all countries of the world to boost up understanding and trading with them.

Step-motherly treatment of Pakistan: Sadly, Harper has been ignoring Pakistan, but Mr Trudeau may repair the damage now by encouraging bi-lateral relations between Canada and Pakistan.

Canadians of Pakistani origin are more than eager for Mr Trudeau’s Pakistan visit in the near future as a State guest. In that regard, High Commissioner of Pakistan at Ottawa must immediately move forward facilitating such a tour of high significance.

Canadians have no clue: Only Prime Minister Trudeau is aware of what actually prompted him to give away half of the cabinet-portfolios to the females who make around 25 percent of the Liberal caucus. A lack of proportionality remains questionable.

Rule of thumb: The person should be picked if he or she is the most suitable to optimize performance to serve Canada.

As Prime Minister Trudeau is almost fully loaded with the best tools and is equipped with a cabinet well-tailored with a remarkable “gender-parity,” time is ripe for normal delivery sooner the better.

In case there is a failure in terms of delivery, Trudeau cabinet should be re-selected based on merit, not gender.

SOURCES

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/11/06/obama-rejects-keystone-pipeline-us-media-reports.htmlhttp://www.cjocfm.com/news-and-info/lethbridge-news/u-s-president-rejects-canadas-keystone-xl-pipeline-project/http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/conservative-refugee-health-care-cuts-were-economically-foolish-immigration-minister-1.2648275, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/04/justin-trudeau-cabinet_n_8471274.htmlhttp://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-trudeau-cabinet-should-be-built-on-merit-not-genderhttp://www.thebeaverton.com/national/item/2204-50-female-cabinet-appointments-lead-to-5000-increase-in-guys-who-suddenly-care-about-merit-in-cabinet

Canadian Press-

Liberal-Majority For a Better Canada

The outgoing regime faced its ouster  due to a number of unpleasant reasons including dictatorial attitude of  Mr. Steven Harper,  his anti-Muslim fear mongering, negative attack-adds, passing laws controversially, unfavourable foreign policy and mismanagement are only a few among others. As the strategic voting was the answer, propaganda machinery did enough for opinion-building to achieve the desired results in recent federal elections. Obviously, the people were upset with the sitting government; they wanted a positive change. The moments were ripe for the vested interests to exploit the situation for their own purpose, so the target was achieved democratically. A landslide victory for the Liberals means good news for positive change. Hopefully, our new leader will go for unity rather than division.

On November 4, the Liberals will be returning to the House of Commons with a majority government. They have a long list of promises and priorities based on their 88-page plan. Intention is to boost up support for post-secondary students, improve the environment and decrease the tax burden for middle-class families. The Canada child benefit is replacing the universal child care benefit. The Liberal promise would provide a yearly tax free benefit of up to $6,400 for every child of up to 5 years of age and up to $5,400 for each child age 6 to 17.

How much a family would receive under the Liberal plan would depend on income, with the monthly payments declining as family income rises. Poor family will benefit from this non taxable program.

Other priorities: The Liberal platform has some immediate steps to be taken upon forming government; they include calling an inquiry into the missing and the murdered indigenous women, lifting the 2 percent cap on increases to “First Nations-education-funding” and establishing a new financial relationship with First Nations. They also include launching a new competition to replace the CF-18 fighter jet and scraping the F-35 fighter program. Hiring of additional mental health professionals to support veterans is part of priority. Reinstating the long-form census and implementing imported gun-marking legislation will be carried out.

Review of environmental assessment processes will begin. Number of immigration applications allowed for parents and grand-parents will be doubled. Visa requirement for Mexican travel to Canada will be lifted.

Spousal sponsorship is to be made easier: Cunningly, the outgoing prime minister Mr. Harper kept himself away from the Muslim world in general and Pakistan in particular. With regard to family sponsorship matters, cases were delayed for long time to a point where either the marriage came to an end, or one spouse had to leave Canada for residing with the other spouse in Pakistan.

Rejecting fake marriage case is appreciable, yet it amounts to gross negligence and inefficiency if a visa officer has difficulty accepting a genuine marriage despite the available solid proof (consummated marriage) with birth of a baby to the wedlock supported by official documents including Marriage certificate.

New government is introducing a faster track: From now onward, spouses immigrating to Canada shall get immediate permanent residency.

There will be surely expeditious disposal of spousal cases without wait-time, and the rejected cases may be reviewed on faster track hopefully.

Beauty of Diversity: According to local news media 22 out of 44 South Asians made their way to the House of Commons including two Pakistanis born Canadians. Congratulations to 15 Indians who have been elected as MPs.

Congratulations to 10 Muslims who became MPs; the number is great for the first time in the history of Canada. They include: Somali Canadian MP Ahmed Hussen, Canada's first Iranian Canadian MP Majid Jowhari, and Canada's first Afghan Canadian MP Maryam Monsef. The majority of Muslim Canadians who will be coming to Parliament are newcomers to politics with the exception of Omar Alghabra and Yasmin Ratansi who were previously Liberal MPs. Pakistani Canadian Iqra Khalid, MP for Mississauga-Erin Mills: Iqra Khalid’s Website Salma Zahid, MP for Scarborough Centre: Zahid's Website

Thought provoking: Pakistani Canadians are almost unrepresented in Parliament: They include Pakistani landed immigrants, naturalised Canadians of Pakistani origin and Canadians born to parents of Pakistani origin.

Unfortunately, Mr. Tariq Azeem, High Commissioner of Pakistan was asked about the number of Pakistanis in Canada - he could not answer reliably; conveniently he quoted the figure of 155,310 based on 2011 census. The Commission ignores updating its record of total number of Pakistanis residing in Canada for unknown reasons.

“The Canadian Magazine of Immigration” posted on 02/02/2015 as below: In 2011, the vast majority of Pakistani immigrants (73%) resided in Ontario; most of them (97,065) lived in the Greater Toronto Area.  In 2011, 12% of Pakistani immigrants resided in Alberta, 6% in Quebec and 5% in British Columbia. Though, it’s disappointing to note that the actual number of Pakistanis is not available, yet it’s estimated from various sources to be around 300,000.

Irony is Pakistanis, compared with other South Asians, still lag behind when it comes to have direct voice in the parliament. Painfully, there is no noticeable representation in the parliament of Canadians of Pakistani origin: How would only 2 women in 338 Member-Parliament be able to voice Pakistani community’s concerns? This suggests there is a long way to go yet before the Pakistani community has reasonable presence in the parliament. Even the Senate has only one Pakistani lady.

Controversial Legislation: The biased and discriminatory laws (C51 and C24) are expected to be amended or repealed.

Furthermore, as per BBC and other news channels, Trudeau believes in ending airstrike over Iraq, having closer ties with Obama and accepting 25000 refugees from the troubled Syria.

Trudeau looks persuaded to honor Mr. Chretien’s advice to go for better relations with Iran and Russia, and work with the UN for revival of Canada’s peace keeping role. All sounds good!

It’s a golden chance for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef to invite Prime Minister-elect Mr. Justin Trudeau to have a State visit in order to refresh mutual relationship to generate trade and investment opportunities.

Sources:

www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/01/analysis-suggests-trudeau-s-riding-to-benefit-most-under-liberal-child-benefit_n_8225274.html

www.canadaimmigrants.com/immigration/statistics/pakistani-immigrants-to-canada/

www.marketwatch.com/story/canadian-assets-may-benefit-from-liberal-partys-fiscal-stimulus-2015-10-20

www.cbcnews.ca, www.liberal.ca