The Canadian government on Sunday announced its intention to appoint a special representative to combat Islamophobia in the country as part of its anti-racism strategy. “Islamophobia is unacceptable. Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint a Special Representative on combatting Islamophobia,” Justin Trudeau tweeted.

The decision comes as the country marked the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia on January 29. In the statement, the government also reaffirmed its “commitment to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence.”

“This year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror, the Government of Canada stands with and supports Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirms its commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence,” it also said.

The government noted that Islamophobia is a “concrete and daily reality” for Muslim communities across the country and around the world. It then underlined that it is their responsibility to build a more inclusive country to combat discrimination.

The special representative appointment is one of the recommendations put forward during the virtual National Summit on Islamophobia, which was held in July 2021. It will be an additional step in the government’s ongoing work through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle Islamophobia in all its forms, the government said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the decision and write, “I welcome Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau’s unequivocal condemnation of #Islamophobia & his plan to appoint a Special Representative to combat this contemporary scourge. His timely call to action resonates with what I have long argued. Let us join hands to put an end to this menace.”

In 2017 on January 29, six worshippers were killed and five others got seriously injured after a 27-year-old opened fire in a mosque during evening prayers. The shooting, which Prime Minister Trudeau denounced as a terrorist attack, provoked debate over the treatment of new arrivals at a time when Canadians were being tested by a growing number of migrants crossing from the United States into the province of Quebec.

In the same year, an anti-Islam rally was held in the London city of Ontario, which was organized by a group called the Patriots of Canada Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA).