Amira Elghawaby, Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia, called for immediate action following a report by Muslim groups proposing regulation of parliamentary “disinformation” against Arab Canadians.

“The Office of the Ethics Commissioner should develop a clear and enforceable policy on how parliamentarians are to be held accountable when they disseminate disinformation targeting marginalized communities,” said the report, Documenting The Palestine Exception: An Overview Of Trends In Islamophobia, Anti-Palestinian Racism and Anti-Arab Racism In Canada In The Aftermath Of October 7, 2023.

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York University’s Islamophobia Research Hub published the report without examples of “disinformation” by MPs or senators, according to Blacklock’s.

“As political figures, office holders, civil servants, journalists, academics or as citizens, we have a duty to know. We have a responsibility to act,” said Elghawaby, who endorsed the report Tuesday.

Dr. Nadia Hasan, Research Hub director, criticized the "blatant circulation of disinformation" by Canadian politicians as “irresponsible,” but believes a solution is within reach.

Elghawaby, an anti-hate representative, says the report will inform advice to the federal government after a prompt review.

That follows controversy in 2023, when the Québec government demanded her dismissal over a 2019 column linking anti-Muslim sentiment to Bill 21.

The skirmish precedes a National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) recommendation urging federal regulators to mandate media corrections for stories about Arab Canadians.

Elghawaby, since her January 2023 appointment, has prioritized internet regulation. “Continuing to advance and advocate for strong legislation will be very important,” she told Politico in an interview.

Cabinet has twice failed to pass legislation regulating internet content, ostensibly to combat “hate speech”, which has been prohibited under the Criminal Code since 1970.

Elghawaby believes addressing online hate and “misinformation” is crucial for progress, as they perpetuate Muslim stereotypes. 

Religiously motivated hate crimes against Muslims rose for the sixth consecutive year, reaching 229 reported incidents in 2024, an increase from 220 in 2023 and 109 in 2022, according to Statistics Canada.

Critics argue that "online harms" legislation is problematic due to broad definitions that may regulate more than "hate speech."

Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, would have allowed complaints against "intimidating" social media posts, which was the last attempt the Liberals made to censor the internet. 

It proposed $20,000 compensation for victims of hate speech, $50,000 fines, and life imprisonment or house arrest for perpetrators.

Bill C-36 earlier proposed $70,000 fines for inciting hatred. It died in 2021 when Trudeau called a snap election.