National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Disappointed by Results of Ethics Investigation into Sentator Boisvenu's Associations with White Supremacist Facebook Groups

Sen. Boisvenu was a member of several far-right Facebook groups, including Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (known by its German acronym PEGIDA), the Canadian Coalition of Concerned Citizens, and most concerningly, a group associated with Quebec's La Meute.

La Meute’s members have been affiliated with extreme far-right groups like Atalante, neo-Nazis and the deadly Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. Four months prior to a gift-wrapped severed pig’s head being placed at the door of the Quebec City Mosque, members of La Meute discussed a near identical plan online, down to attaching a card to the severed head.

This was the same mosque that was subjected to the worst attack on a religious institution in Canadian history on January 29, 2017 when six Quebecers were murdered and several others left injured by a gunman who was motivated by Islamophobia and frequented similar online groups.

“It is deeply troubling that an apology as contradictory and evasive as the Senator’s can result in ending an investigation into a Senator’s participation in extreme hate groups online,” said Mustafa Farooq, Executive Director. “The Senator’s ‘apology’, where he stated that he was added without his consent to a number of far-right groups, is fundamentally at odds with his previous statement where he noted that he joined the La Meute associated Facebook group ‘out of curiosity.’ It is also concerning that a Senator can join white supremacist and Islamophobic groups online, and then escape scrutiny by posting an evasive apology where there is no mention of the problem of Islamophobia. Canadians deserve better.”

We disagree with the Senate Ethics Officer that Senator Boisvenu’s apology was “convincing”. NCCM demands that Senator Boisvenu provides a real apology to the Muslim community in the province as we approach the third anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque massacre. Such an apology should include precisely what steps the Senator will undertake to live up to his commitment for “diversity, multiculturalism, and equality that this country proudly upholds”.

The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for Muslim civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.

CONTACTS:

English:

Mustafa Farooq, NCCM Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-406-2525

French :

Sarah Abou-Bakr, NCCM Quebec Advocay Coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-254-9704 Ext 236