1st Session, 42nd Parliament,
Volume 150, Issue 127
Monday, June 5, 2017
The Honourable George J. Furey, Speaker
Tragedy in London, United Kingdom
Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak on the horrific attack that took place on London Bridge last Saturday night.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the seven people killed, and to the people of England. We British Columbians also lost one of our own in the London attack: Christine Archibald from Castlegar. I would like to express my condolences to her family and repeat what they said about her:
We grieve the loss of our beautiful, loving daughter and sister. She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected. . . . She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Please honor her by making your community a better place. . . . Tell them Chrissy sent you.
Ms. Archibald lived her short life for the betterment of humanity. She set an example for us all.
Honourable senators, each time these attacks take place in the name of my faith, we Muslims are truly devastated. I would like to share a message from the Ismaili Muslim National Council of the United Kingdom, which I know speaks for us all:
We offer our sincere condolences and prayers to all those impacted by recent incidents in London and Manchester, and indeed similar incidents that have taken place elsewhere in the world.
People of peace and goodwill will have been horrified by these attacks on innocent people. As a community, we must unite with others to overcome the ideologies that can lead to such acts. We have always felt safe in what has been a tolerant and peaceful society here in the U.K. and mainland Europe.
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Honourable senators, we know these horrific acts cut the fabric of our communities. Rather than letting fear cut us, let us sew Canada and the world together.
To quote Mayor Khan of London:
By working together we must deprive extremism of its oxygen and not exaggerate its support or alienate communities in the process.
Honourable senators, I believe that united we shall stop these horrific acts. As a community, we are stronger than the terrorists. We are truly one.