The lawyer and co-founder of Fast in the 6 Dany Assaf discusses his new memoir Say Please and Thank You and Stand in Line (Sutherland House, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Say Please and Thank You & Stand in Line by Dany Assaf (Sutherland House, 2021). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Say Please…

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The story that Dany Assaf tells in his new book, a memoir, Say Please and Thank You and Stand in Line, is at its heart a Canadian story. It only could have happened here. Over a hundred years ago, Dany’s ancestors come to Canada from Lebanon. In Edmonton, his great-grandfather is part of a group of Muslims who build the first mosque in Canada. There are marvelous lessons passed down through his family since, including the title of the book. These are lessons Dany has passed on to his children, and now the reader as it proves a very necessary read when hatred and negative rhetoric seems to pervade our discourse, our politics, and could change our country. One need just look at the United States and how that’s turned out. Mr. Assaf’s book is full of examples from his life and times that illustrate how great Canada is. He also sets out how there’s room for improvement, as it’s far from perfect consider Canada’s treatment of the indigenous throughout our history. There’s a chapter in the book where Dany looks at what the media and popular culture can do to be more inclusive, and present more positive messages about people of colour. Dany Assaf is a lawyer based in Toronto, who specialises in competition law and policy. He and his wife Lisa co-founded Toronto’s annual Fast in the 6, a multidenominational celebration that happens at the end of Ramadan. @danyassaf is his Twitter handle. This new book is published by Sutherland House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Dany Assaf; Mr. Assaf, good morning.

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