MEDIA RELEASE - We must eliminate Islamophobia and all forms of racism from our systems of government

“New Democrats are appalled by how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is reportedly treating Muslim organizations like the Muslim Association of Canada. We see clearly that Islamophobia and other forms of racism continue to exist in our systems of government. Not only does this pose a threat to the well-being of our communities, but it also hurts the social fabric of our country. We welcome the legal challenge launched on Wednesday.
Last summer, nearly 100 Muslim organizations and civil society groups sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to reform the CRA’s auditing processes, which they allege unfairly target Muslims.

April 14th, 2022

We must eliminate Islamophobia and all forms of racism from our systems of government

NDP Critic for National Revenue (Tax Fairness and Inequality) Niki Ashton issued the following statement:

“New Democrats are appalled by how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is reportedly treating Muslim organizations like the Muslim Association of Canada. We see clearly that Islamophobia and other forms of racism continue to exist in our systems of government. Not only does this pose a threat to the well-being of our communities, but it also hurts the social fabric of our country. We welcome the legal challenge launched on Wednesday.

Last summer, nearly 100 Muslim organizations and civil society groups sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to reform the CRA’s auditing processes, which they allege unfairly target Muslims.

In July 2021, the Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier asked the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson to ‘examine concerns raised by certain Muslim-led charities’ about their experiences with the CRA. While the ombudsperson continues to have meetings with charities to hear their concerns, the auditing process continues to hurt organizations like the Muslim Association of Canada. According to a report released by the University of Toronto, Muslim charities are disproportionately targeted for audits by the CRA. This is unacceptable and it must stop.

For too long, racism has been allowed to spread like fire in Canada, and we cannot allow it to continue. Unfortunately, the Liberals have been too slow to act on eliminating Islamophobia—even in the departments that they govern.

New Democrats calls on the Liberals to take action to dismantle the systemic racism that Muslims in Canada continue to experience.”

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