Dear Editor:
An open letter to West Vancouver’s mayor and council:
I propose that West Vancouver join hands with the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver and become the first municipalities in Canada to remove themselves from the partisan nature of federal politics by declaring their own version of Motion 103, (a federal private member’s bill condemning Islamophobia). I ask the mayor and councils of the three North Shore municipalities lead the way for other Canadian cities to follow: to stand together and “condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination.”
The North Shore is not immune to racism and hate crimes. In 2011 and 2013 there were bomb threats against local mosques. We need not wait until tragedy to take action. Regardless of our faith, the political party we follow, or the colour of our skin, we need to stand together lest fear and ignorance destroy the foundations of our culturally diverse and thriving communities.
Jo-Ann Svensson
West Vancouver
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