TORONTO — A man attacked a 14-year-old boy and his family in mid-March outside the Toronto Islamic Centre following night prayers. According to the Toronto Islamic Centre, the suspect shouted, "Did the Liberals bring you here?" during the incident. Mosque leaders stated that an arrest was made in connection with the attack.

The boy, identified as Ahmed, said, "It was really scary. I wasn't able to sleep." He added, "They were really traumatised."

The incident occurred as the Canadian government transitioned its approach to combating hate. The Carney government closed the offices of the country's envoys dedicated to combatting Islamophobia and antisemitism. Concurrently, the government launched an advisory council on rights, equality, and inclusion. A spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage said that the new advisory council would build on the work of the former anti-Semitism and Islamophobia envoys.

In 2024, the Canadian government launched an Action Plan on Combatting Hate, which committed over 270 million Canadian dollars spanning six years for various initiatives. Former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, said, "It is a perfect storm right now." Elghawaby also stated, "This rhetoric around it being a Liberal plot; these are all dangerous, false narratives." She added, "The fact that it happens in the centre of one of the most multicultural, diverse cities of our country really puts to rest the idea that it's enough for people to be exposed to diversity."

Fahad Ahmad, an assistant professor of criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University, said, "Muslims are ascribed to be inherently violent. Muslims are ascribed to be barbaric, uncivilised, sitting outside the polity of Canada, which is a white, Western country." He also stated, "Islamophobia is seen as a lower-order problem."

Canada has recorded more targeted killings of Muslims than any other Group of Seven country. A 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque resulted in the deaths of six congregants. In 2021, four members of a Muslim family were killed in London, Ontario, after a man drove his car into them. Pollsters reported in 2024 that a majority of Canadians believe there is "too much immigration," marking the first time this opinion was held by a majority in over two decades.