Amid controversy, Premier Legault admits Islamophobia exists in Quebec
By Philip Authier
Montreal Gazette | February 1, 2019
Premier François Legault has backed away from his remarks on Islamophobia, after sparking a controversy by saying it does not exist in Quebec.
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On Friday morning, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called on Legault to retract the comment, which he made after a caucus meeting of Coalition Avenir Québec MNAs in Gatineau.
He had been explaining why he felt there was no reason to designate Jan. 29 — the date six Muslim men were murdered in a mass shooting in Quebec City in 2017 — as anti-Islamophobia Day in Quebec.
NCCM executive director Ihsaan Gardee said in a statement that the comments were insulting to the families of the victims and the Muslim communities in Quebec and Canada who are still mourning the lives lost in the attack.