QuoteWe're often told that hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise,and that anti-Muslim bigotry is a growing problem in Canada.



This is the argument behind the Trudeau government's dubious motion, M-103, which seeks to use a "whole-of-government approach" to eliminate the undefined and politically-loaded concept of  "Islamophobia".



"The government should recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear; condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination," reads the text.  



But is it true there is an "increasing public climate of hate and fear"?



Have Canadians really responded to the rise of jihadist terrorism with hatred and bigotry towards Muslims in our communities?



The answer, by and large, is no.



Canada has Muslim representatives at every level of government, including the House, Senate, executive, as well as in provincial and municipal governments.



There are many prominent Muslim journalists in Canada, including two brilliant writers regularly featured in this paper: Farzana Hassan and Tarek Fatah.



Canada has famous Muslim singers, actors, television hosts, professional athletes, doctors, lawyers, business leaders, academics and senior government officials.



Given that Muslims make up about 3% of Canada's population, it's safe to say Muslims punch above their weight in terms of their prominence in Canada.



As for anti-Muslim crimes, according to recently released data from Statistics Canada, the number of hate crimes against Muslims went down last year.



Reported anti-Muslim hate crimes fell by 13% in 2016.



By comparison, hate crimes against Jews increased by 24%.



Hate crimes are always a problem, but we should address the problem in a proportionate way.



There were 1,409 hate crimes reported to police in 2016; more or less in line with the numbers reported over the past decade (a high of 1,482 in 2009, and a low of 1,167 in 2013).



Of those 1,409 reported crimes, 139 were against Muslims.



With a Canadian population of over 36 million, we should recognize how rare it is to experience a crime motivated by anti-religious bigotry—and how uncommon it is for Muslims to be the victim of this type of crime.



Canada is a great place to be a Muslim. You could argue it's one of the best places in the world.



Sadly, the worst Canadian hate crime in recent history was aimed at Muslims praying in their mosque in Quebec City.



In January, 2017, a bigoted gunman stormed the mosque during evening prayers and opened fire on the worshipers.



Six people were murdered and 19 injured in this senseless rampage.  



In response, Canadians from coast to coast participated in public vigils and gatherings in the bitter cold; showing sympathy to the victims and expressing solidarity with our fellow citizens of the Muslim faith.  



In addition to this violence, there is no doubt the world is experiencing a surge in Islamist terrorism.



According to the Institute for Economics and Peace's annual Global Terrorism Index, 77 countries experienced deadly jihadist attacks last year – the most since 2001.



The report found 25,673 people were killed in terrorist attacks in 2016.



There were also more jihadist attacks in 2016 in Western countries than any other year in several decades.



Despite what Liberal politicians say, the data show anti-Muslim hatred in Canada is decreasing.



Meanwhile, Islamist terrorism is increasing globally.



The Trudeau Liberals, however, insist that anti-Muslim bigotry is the real problem, while the global jihadist threat is barely worth mentioning.

http://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/malcolm-what-hate-crime-statistics-really-say">http://torontosun.com/opinion/columnist ... really-say">http://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/malcolm-what-hate-crime-statistics-really-say

QuoteToday I am going to explain why you, as a Canadian citizen, are not an energy-consuming glutton who is helping to burn up the planet by greedily consuming fossil fuels.



In fact, as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to climate change go, Canada is small potatoes.



According to the World Research Institute, 2011, China is the world's largest energy-related emitter of greenhouse gases at 10,552 megatonnes annually. (A megatonne, or Mt, represents one million tonnes.)



China is followed by the U.S. at 6,550 Mt.



India is third at 2,486 Mt; Russia fourth at 2,374 Mt; Japan fifth at 1,307 Mt; Brazil sixth at 1,131 Mt; Germany seventh at 882 Mt; and Indonesia eighth at 834 Mt.



Canada is ninth at 716 Mt. (As of 2013, our emissions were 726 Mt which doesn't affect the rankings.)



Canada legally withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol to reduce GHG emissions, which expired in 2012, at the end of 2011.



At that time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper cited its fundamental unfairness to our country.



While we were required by Kyoto (thanks to former PM Jean Chretien, who ratified it) to reduce our emissions under the United Nations treaty to an average of 6% below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012, China, the U.S., India and Russia -- the world's top four emitters -- were not required to reduce their emissions by a single tonne.



Nor was Brazil, the sixth largest emitter, or Indonesia, the eighth largest emitter.



Despite the fact that when the Liberals lost power under Paul Martin in 2006 Canada was 30% over its Kyoto target, our emissions since 2006 as a share of global emissions -- 43,372 Mt in 2011 -- have been steadily dropping.



In 2005, Canada was responsible for 2.1% of global emissions.



By 2011, it was 1.6%, because we have been reducing the growth rate of our emissions faster than the rest of the world.



So-called environmentalists and Canada's opposition parties ignore these figures, which tell the true state of Canada's contribution to global GHG emissions.



Contrary to myths perpetuated by U.S. President Barack Obama's billionaire political pals, oil extracted from Canada's oilsands is not the "dirtiest on earth."



The dirtiest oil on earth comes from Nigeria. The dirtiest oil in North America comes from California.



In reality, the biggest problem today when it comes to global GHG emissions is burning coal to generate electricity.



China gets 80% of its electricity from coal, India 70%, the U.S. almost 40%. In Canada, it's less than 11%.



Again, those who falsely smear Canada as the world's leading climate ogre, never cite these facts.



Instead they focus on one misleading fact, without providing any context, which is that Canadians are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases per capita on earth.



The context which they never mention is that Canada is the second largest and second coldest country on earth, with one of the lowest population densities on earth -- 230th out of 244 sovereign states and dependent territories.



That, along with the fact we are an oil and natural gas producing and exporting country, is what drives up our per capita emissions.



That is, we use them out of necessity, not because everyone in Canada is conspiring to waste energy.



Those who suggest otherwise should be ashamed of themselves.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/05/27/oilsands-not-the-dirtiest">http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/05/27/o ... e-dirtiest">http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/05/27/oilsands-not-the-dirtiest