Jagmeet Singh is the first member of a minority to lead a federal political party in Canada. (Archive photo)
Montreal:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood on Thursday behind the leader of an opposition party who had been temporarily expelled from Parliament for accusing another member of racism.
New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, who is a Sikh, is the first member of a minority to lead a federal political party in Canada.
On Wednesday, he ran into a member of the separatist party from the Bloc Québécois who refused to sign an NDP motion to recognize systemic racism in the federal police.
“It is disappointing that the Bloc Québécois continues to refuse to accept that systemic discrimination, systemic racism exists in our country, in all regions of our country and in all our institutions,” said Trudeau at his press conference. daily. “Recognizing systemic discrimination is the first important step in dealing with it.”
“There are conversations that must take place if we are to move forward as a country,” he said, saying it was not for him to criticize the expression by a racial minority of ‘a “lived reality” of racism.
Alain Therrien of the Bloc Québécois refused to sign the NDP motion and, after a heated exchange, Mr. Singh accused Therrien of being racist.
Mr. Singh refused to apologize and was temporarily removed from the room.
Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet defended Therrien and demanded sanctions against Singh.
“I hope the leader of the NDP will sincerely apologize, and if not, I hope the Speaker of the House of Commons will be tough enough,” he said.
“Because if the only penalty is not being allowed to stay in the room for a day or not being able to speak for a day, everyone will feel entitled to do the same.”
The NDP is the fourth largest political party in the country with 24 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons, while the Bloc Québécois has 32.
The quarrel arises as Canadians joined global protests against systemic racism and police violence after the murder of black American man George Floyd by police last month.
