End of Year Message to Prime Minister Mark Carney from the Muslim Community to Protect Religious Freedoms and Civil Liberties

OAKVILLE, ON, Dec. 27, 2025 /CNW/ - This year marked a significant transition for the Liberal Party and for Canada. Prime Minister Carney assumed office in March, followed closely by the federal election in April, positioning his government to lead during a period of domestic and international challenges. Canadians faced economic uncertainty, a strained relationship with the United States, and the moral and political implications of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Prime Minister Carney's new government prioritized stabilizing domestic economic realities and aligning Canada's foreign positions with European partners, over preserving Canadians' rights and freedoms.

"As a national organization representing diverse and engaged Muslim communities across the country, we are deeply concerned that insufficient attention has been given to meaningful relationship-building with Muslim communities at home. In an effort to manage rising political tensions, this Liberal government has begun advancing legislative proposals that will have severe impacts on the civil liberties of communities already marginalized," said Yaser Haddara, Board Chair of the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.

National civil liberties organizations, religious institutions, civil society members and activists across this country have warned of a troubling legislative trend that departs from protections that are guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In the absence of meaningful and intentional engagement with the Muslim community, offering controversial political gestures in an increasingly polarized political climate risks undermining trust, inclusion, and democratic engagement.

Of immediate concern for many Muslim communities and civil liberties organizations across Canada is Bill C-9. "Bill C-9 is presented as a way to address hate, but it does not tackle the root causes and instead risks harming communities that are already heavily policed and discriminated against," said Yaser Haddara, Board Chair of the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council. This bill should not be passed for the significant risks it poses to protest rights, labour rights, public accountability, and Charter freedoms. Bill C-9 would make it easier to criminalize peaceful protest, silence dissent and expand police discretionary power. This effectively reinforces an existing structure of over-policing and disproportionate targeting of Black, Indigenous, Muslim, Palestinian and racialized communities through vague and subjective offences that carry severe criminal penalties. Communities are alarmed that proposed amendments would intensify these harms. Furthermore, the most recent approved amendment proposed by the Bloc Québécois, removes the "good-faith religious text defence" in s. 319(b) of the Criminal Code, poses serious challenges to the Muslim community's ability to freely live and promote faith teachings. State authorities and law enforcement cannot be allowed to interpret sacred texts to determine hateful intent. The Prime Minister must intervene to withdraw the bill to ensure the protection of religious freedoms and civil liberties in Canada.

The legislative trend that many civil liberties groups and human rights organizations have raised concerns about extends beyond Bill C-9. This includes concerns over Bill C-12, the Strong Borders Act, that expedites measures that would expand state surveillance, erode privacy protections, and entrench expansive executive powers over immigration status without adequate procedural safeguards. Other concerns and objections raised about the ongoing failures in Canada's immigration system, including the Temporary Resident Visa program that failed to fulfill its humanitarian objectives of saving families of Canadian Palestinian caught by the war in Gaza. Furthermore, civil liberties groups criticized the federal budget that increases defence and security spending, diverting funds from crucial domestic priorities like housing, healthcare, and social services.

"The Prime Minister faces a crucial test of his leadership. His choices now can either take this country along a path that erodes civil liberties, deepens polarization, and challenges public trust, or he can still pivot, grounding his approach in Canadian values that uphold rights and protect freedoms, and engage meaningfully with the diverse  impacted communities strengthening Canada's special mosaic," said Yaser Haddara, Board Chair of the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Constructive collaboration and meaningful consultation with impacted communities is essential if this government is committed to reducing political tension, enhancing public safety, and safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all Canadians.

About CMPAC: The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council combats structural Islamophobia by mobilizing communities, engaging decision makers, and influencing public policy. CMPAC is a non-profit organization that works through community engagement, advocacy, and political lobbying. CMPAC's work is research backed and community driven. It equips community members to advocate for structural change.

SOURCE Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council

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