Mourners pray in front of the caskets during a funeral for three of the victims of the deadly shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center in February 2017. (Chris Wattie/AFP/Getty Images)
Concerned that the tide of far-right ideology could become mainstream in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has for the first time earmarked millions of dollars in the national budget to counter racism.
As far-right movements have gained ground among many of Canada’s allies, the Liberal government has committed to providing $23 million Canadian over two years for multicultural programs and cross-country consultations on racism.
The budget, approved in February, stated that diversity was a cornerstone of Canadian identity threatened by the rise of “ultranationalist movements and protests against immigration, visible minorities and religious minorities.” The new funding will bolster the existing Multiculturalism Program.
Canada is worried that such ultranationalist movements could also harbor violent elements. In its annual public report on the terrorist threat to Canada in December, Public Safety Canada listed right-wing extremism as a “growing concern” for the first time. While much of the far-right activity was concentrated online, the report said, there were risks for physical violence.
In the past year, media have reported less than a dozen physical assaults motivated by hate. But the memory of the 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque that killed six and injured dozens lingers in Canada. In his trial this week, Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded…
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