Ottawa’s mayor called out U.S. President Donald Trump today for his "half-hearted" explanation of that tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.
But there is recognition among Canadian politicians and the public that hatred doesn't stop at the border.
In Toronto today, a hastily planned protest drew a sizeable crowd over the noon hour.
“This country is a peaceful country and we should be a model for the whole world,” said one man attending the protest.
In Ottawa last night, there was a vigil at the Human Rights monument on Elgin.
“We cannot afford to ignore this threat any longer,” said one of the organizers.
The Human Rights Monumant is a symbol, they hope, of what Canadians stand for: peace, acceptance and unity. On a warm Monday afternoon, Ottawa resident Fred Sangster is showing his visitors around Ottawa, with a stop outside Canada's Peace Tower.
“I travel the world for my job and see 30 countries a year,” says Sangster, originally from Scotland, “and Canada still the nicest one and it seems to be separated from that at the moment. I hope it stays that way.”
Ottawa's Mayor says those attitudes start at the top
“We're not purer than pure in Canada,” he said in an interview on CTV News at Noon, “but we have a more welcoming attitude. But the president's half-hearted explanation without even mentioning the White Supremacists and Nazis didn’t' help the matter. They have a lot of deep rooted problems in that country and I hope we never see a fraction of that in our city or our country.”
But of course it exists. Ottawa alone averages 85 hate crimes a year according to police. Just last year, a 17-year-old boy was charged with a spate of racist graffiti incident, targeting a synagogue, a mosque and Parkdale United Church, where Reverend Anthony Bailey is the pastor.
“We have to be careful not to be smug and point fingers,” Reverend Bailey said, “It calls us to reflect, to stop and to say what aspects of that are taking place in our own society and what can we do to root that out, and change the narrative.”
So, back under the shadow of the Peace Tower, there is condemnation for what is happening south of the border.
“Anything like that is terrible,” says Kyle Bayliss, “I'm surprised it's still happening this day and age actually. I hope it gets sorted out right now.”
“America’s gone crazy,” adds Fred Sangster, “lots of terrorist acts going around and white supremacists want to be part of that I guess.”
There is recognition, too, that hatred doesn't check itself when it crosses over to Canada.
“In Canada, it's important to have good leadership,” said Kelvin Mok, from Calgary, “to make sure those rights aren't stepped on.”
