Denis Coderre defends anti-radicalization plans

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre is defending against accusations a committee formed toset up an anti-radicalization centre lacks diversity.

Coderre has taken heat for not consulting with members of Montreals Muslim community ahead of Monday's announcement.

• Anti-radicalization centre to be set up in Montreal
• ANALYSIS |Has Ottawa been too slow to take on radicalized Canadians?

In an exchange Tuesday with CBC Montreal's Daybreak host Mike Finnerty, Coderre said the city will begin by workingwith partners from social services, public safety and education.

It's going to be very inclusive, but first things first, we're talking about expertise, Coderre said.

Homerun8:26Muslim group raises concerns about new radicalization prevention

Haroun Bouazzi, co-president of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for a secular Quebec, is concerned by the central role the police are playing in the City of Montreal's new centre to prevent radicalization.

Haroun Bouazzi, co-president of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for a secular Quebec, toldHomerunon Monday he was concerned Muslim Montrealershadn't been approached about the centre.

We actually are very disappointed, he said, explaining that he received a call from the city only a few hours before the announcement.

We hope dialogue can be better.

Bouazzi said his group wants to see governmentpolicies that will ensureMuslims feel welcome in Quebec.

That will make actually less and less kids that feel excluded from their society, he said.

Today,they are actually having a huge amount of hatred against them, in the social media and in some conventional media.

For his part, Coderre said the anti-radicalization centre will not target Muslims in particular, even if the plancomes on the heels of reportssix Quebecershad been recruited to join Syrianjihadists.

Of course, we had a situation just a few weeks before but it's deeper than that, he said.

We are providing tools to prevent radicalization.

Coderre told Finnerty he wanted to make sure Montreal remained open and diverse.

I'm not excluding, I'm including, he said.