The criticism Amira Elghawaby has received upon her appointment as Canada’s first Islamophobia Commissioner is proof of the necessity of this position, Stephen Brown explains in February’s Off the Hill panel.
Elghawaby’s appointment has received backlash because of a column she co-wrote in 2019 which criticized Quebec’s Bill 21. Bill 21 prohibits certain Quebec public servants from wearing religious symbols, such as a Jewish kippah or Muslim hijab.
For those who have been paying attention, Brown says, it’s pretty clear Bill 21 is a religiously bigoted law. He argues Elghawaby was right to denounce it back in 2019.
“There’s some people that are just never going to be comfortable with the fact that you’re pointing out discrimination … The fact of the matter is that if you want to make progress, sometimes you’re going to have to make some people uncomfortable.”
Stephen Brown is the CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). He is a well-known leader and community organizer. He has decades of experience in the private sector, in organized labour, and in human rights advocacy.
This is a clip from rabble’s most recent live politics panel: ‘Off the Hill: Tackling systemic inequalities.’ The panel featured guests MP Matthew Green, Richard Sharpe, Stephen Brown and Karl Nerenberg. With host Robin Browne.
Off the Hill is a fast-paced live panel on current issues of national significance, hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. This series focuses on the impact politics and policy have on people, and on ways to mobilize to bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off the hill. To support Off the Hill, visit rabble.ca/donate.
