Toronto, Ontario, February 25, 2014 – Roxanne James, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre, released a statement following a community roundtable today:
“Our Government is keeping our streets and communities safe. Part of that work includes engaging leaders from various communities across Canada in an ongoing dialogue on public safety issues and hearing about their concerns.
Today, I spoke with the Muslim communities from the Greater Toronto area and Southern Ontario, in order to examine a number of issues of importance related to community safety, including national security. Community input and engagement are key to our efforts to strengthen national security. These communities have shown a great willingness to work with law enforcement and desire to take an active role in keeping their community safe.”
Without the support of Canada’s many diverse communities, our Government cannot fully accomplish our goals of building resilience against all threats to public safety, and providing support for our youth, the leaders of tomorrow.”
Hussein Hamdani, a member of the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, provided this statement following the roundtable: “The Muslim communities continue to be active partners and have a vested interest in keeping Canada and Canadians safe. We believe that robust dialogue and active outreach are necessary steps in building a more resilient nation. We encourage the government to continue the outreach and partnering process with Canada’s diverse communities and to take these discussions into consideration when drafting policies.”
For more information on Canada’s border strategies, our approach to countering terrorism and violent extremism or the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, please visit the Public Safety Canada website at www.publicsafety.gc.ca.
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Jean-Christophe de Le Rue
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
613-991-2924
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
media@ps-sp.gc.ca
