Hate in Canada: A short guide to far-right extremist movements

This is a paper I wrote with Dr. Stephanie Carvin from Carleton University. It was published by the Organization for the Prevention of Violence and can be read over here . If you’d like a PDF copy you can download it from here.

From the Introduction

Hate, unfortunately, has a home in Canada. Over the course of the last several years there has been a surge in hate crimes, many of which target the Muslim Community.

In January of 2017, six individuals —Ibrahima Barry (39 years old), Mamadou Tanou Barry (42 years old), Khaled Belkacemi (60 years old), Aboubaker Thabti (44 years old), AbdelKrim Hassane (41 years old), and Azzedine Soufiane (57 years old)— were shot and killed, and 19 others wounded in an attack on a mosque by Alexandre Bissonnette in Quebec City.

In September of 2020 International Muslim Organization Mosque caretaker Mohamed Aslam Zafis (58 years old) had his throat slit outside of the Rexdale area mosque in Ontario.

Then in June of 2021 the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, was struck by a pickup truck while taking a leisurely walk. Salman, (46 years old), Talat, (74 years old), Madiha (44 years old), and Yumna (15 years old) were all killed. Fayez (9 years old) survived the attack, having lost his father, mother, sister, and grandmother.

There have been ongoing hate crimes against Muslims, such as a series of attacks against hijab wearing Black Muslim women in Alberta. The pandemic may have accelerated this worrying trend, with Statistics Canada data indicating that police-reported hate crimes rising 37% in 2020.2

The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the far-right extremist ecosystem in Canada that can serve as a resource for the Muslim community, as well as other groups and individuals who seek to better inform themselves for the purpose of countering this threat. It also seeks to advance ideas for how to counter this threat, while appreciating the complexity of the phenomenon.

It provides an overview of far-right extremism, a history of these movements in Canada, an overview of far-right movements today and policy ideas that may further action by all levels of government, and communities themselves.