Commemorating the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia

Eight years ago, on January 29, 2017, Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane, and Aboubaker Thabti, tragically lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec in Sainte-Foy. Thirteen others were seriously injured. These profound losses are remembered nationally and globally.

The Government of Canada designated January 29 to be the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia. This day serves as a reminder of the lives lost and those altered forever by this horrific incident and other incidents of Islamophobia. It is also a call to all Canadians to end the bigotry and prejudice towards our Muslim friends and the Islamic religion.

In response to the growing national incidents of Islamophobia, our government recently announced Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate – our nation’s first-ever action plan on confronting hate. Their mission and purpose is clear: “everyone, regardless of their identity, deserves to feel safe in Canada. However, over the last number of years there has been a concerning rise of hate in Canada. When left unchecked, hate can have devastating consequences for our communities and our country. Hateful words and actions that target people based on their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, language, age, mental or physical disability or any other personal characteristic have no place in Canada.” 

Canada prides itself on diversity and inclusion. OTLA shares those sentiments.

Written by

Jaclyn joined Greg Monforton & Partners as an Associate in 2018. She focuses exclusively on representing Plaintiffs in personal injury cases that include motor vehicle collisions, slip/trip and falls, dog bite injuries, and accident benefits disputes. Jaclyn currently sits on the Board of Directors for OTLA and the Essex Law Association.