(Montreal, Quebec, Sept. 30, 2006) - The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) welcomes the recent decision of the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission), finding the Société Radio-Canada (SRC) guilty of violating federal anti-discriminatory regulations by broadcasting the racist and offensive statements of Doc Mailloux during the Tout le monde en parle show (September 25, 2005).
During this pre-recorded broadcast, it was stated that African Americans and Native Americans have low IQs and that African Americans “are the product of an artificial selection process and consequently are slightly disadvantaged intellectually.”
“Such hatred, bigotry and racism have absolutely no place in Canadian society and must never be tolerated,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “It is disgraceful for the media to participate in propagating such racism, instead of helping to fight it.”
The CRTC held the SRC guilty of violating a provision of the Television Broadcasting Regulations, which forbids the broadcast of abusive comments against any group or individuals, which is likely to expose them to “hatred or contempt on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, or religion.”
MCM calls for greater responsibility from both the government and the media, in combating racism, hatred and discrimination within Canadian society.
“Media outlets that propagate hatred and stereotypes against any group of people must be held accountable and a system of checks and balances must be established to regulate media fairness, especially within Canadian media outlets that are publicly financed,” Elmenyawi said.
