Statement by CLC President Hassan Yussuff on terrorist attack on mosques in New Zealand

Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, made the following statement today on the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“On behalf of Canada’s 3.3 million workers, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the families and victims of the terrorist attacks on the Muslim houses of prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Canada’s unions are united in grief and outrage at the despicable acts of those espousing white supremacist and fascist ideology.

We express our utmost condemnation of these dangerous movements and are committed to doing all we can to confront all forms of racism, bigotry, and Islamophobia wherever they emerge.

We call on our elected officials and representatives to do all they can to address the rise of far-right extremism and hatred in our communities. These troubling currents are a threat to all of us, and a threat to our very democracy.

We specifically call on elected representatives to distance themselves from any of those who promote or support racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

Every person living in Canada, and anywhere around the world, has the right to feel safe and secure expressing their faith, traditions, and being who they are.”