Hon. Victor Oh: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak about the unacceptable rise of racially motivated hate crimes in our country.

Once again, I was deeply disturbed to wake up to news of a senseless attack on our Muslim community. This time the attack happened in my own city of Mississauga, at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre during their morning prayer. Luckily, however, a heroic group of worshippers bravely stood up and subdued the attacker before something worse could happen.

Unfortunately, this attack is a symptom of a larger problem: the overwhelming rise of hate crimes in Canada. It pains me to rise in this chamber, yet again, to share these unsettling statistics with you. The trend of racially motivated hate crimes only appears to be getting worse. In the city of Ottawa alone, hate crimes increased 185% since 2019, while national numbers, according to Statistics Canada, point toward a 37% increase in 2020.

Colleagues, the core of Canadian values of tolerance, pluralism and multiculturalism are beacons of hope for those who escape tyranny and hardship for a better life in Canada. These values make up the very fabric of our nation. Nevertheless, we are failing to stand up for them. Whether you worship wearing a hijab, kippah, dastar or nothing at all, you must never live in fear because of your faith.

Our fellow Canadians deserve better. We must do better. From coast to coast to coast, let us stand up as one Team Canada, just as we do to cheer on our Olympians, united in our condemnation of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous and anti-Asian racism and all stripes of hate in Canada.

Thank you. Shukran.