Ottawa

I will work with police services, the police chief, and Muslim community members and leaders to build trust and work towards a positive working relationship.

I will continue to meet with and hear directly from community members about their concerns related to community safety and emergency preparedness. I know it is of the upmost importance to the community to feel safe in their homes and places of worship, along with daily life activities like going to the grocery store and taking kids to school.

Addressing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination requires a whole community approach involving government action, institutional reforms, online accountability, and individual advocacy. Governments must pass and enforce laws that explicitly protect religious freedom, prohibit anti-Muslim hate speech, and combat systemic discrimination.

As the municipality, I will ensure a meaningful voice for Muslim residents and organizations through structured policy frameworks, regular consultation tables, and youth leadership initiatives.

Muslim organizations in Ottawa region deliver vital services through direct community programs, partnerships, and institutional collaboration. I will continue to work with and support these groups by providing financial support and opportunities where ever possible.

The City of Ottawa must transition away from strict, single-use regulations and adopt frameworks that recognize the distinct spatial, cultural, and temporal practices of diverse communities. Traditional zoning often treats all “places of worship” as identical, creating friction when applied to minority religious traditions. We can be more adaptive.

This is a quality of life election. I am running for Mayor on competence, delivery, and fixing the basics. Mark Sutcliffe had 4 years to deal with infrastructure instead he let it rot in the ground while he spent our money on things we didn’t need. Now he’s asking us to believe he’ll fix the problems he let linger. It’s time for change.

Adopt a Formal Definition. Distinguish APR from Islamophobia. Review Anti-Hate guidelines. End Systemic Erasure and Censorship. Data Collection and Accountability: Institutions must track, document, and report instances of APR—drawing on monitoring models like those developed by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East.

Under Section 2 of the OHRC, every resident has a fundamental right to equal treatment without discrimination based on race, citizenship, ancestry, or creed (religion). I will protect political expression, open dialogue, and have the uncomfortable debates respectfully. We can come together and disagree, debate ideas, with respect.

In 2022 we were promised a safer, more affordable, more reliable Ottawa. We got none of the three. Every commitment on my website, votealex.ca is published in full: what I will do, how it gets delivered, and the timeline I expect to be held to. This campaign is built on real conversations with people across Ottawa. Vote Lawson on Oct 26!