In 2025, Canada has the opportunity to make a dramatic shift and reclaim its position as a respected global leader. If I were leading this country, the following critical issues would be at the top of my agenda.

First and foremost, Canada must emerge from its international pariah state. Everywhere I travel, people ask me what happened to Canada.

Our relationship with India, one of our largest trading partners, is in shambles. The incoming Trump administration in the United States is threatening across-the-board tariffs of up to 25 per cent, signalling significant frustration with Canada’s policies. Even Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, has all but given up on our longstanding partnership due to Canada’s refusal to stop aiding Hamas through UNRWA and withholding military equipment.

When a nation stands for nothing, it becomes nothing — and that is the stark reality of Canada’s current international standing. To regain our global credibility, we must realign our foreign policy with that of our allies, adopt a principled stance at the United Nations and rebuild trust with our key partners.

To secure Canada’s future, we must also address the pressing challenges of immigration. Our current policies are unsustainable and risk eroding the social fabric of our nation.

A radical reduction in immigration from countries that do not share our culture and values is necessary. Every new immigrant should be required to pass a values test. Questions such as, “Do you support the equality and freedom of women?” and “Do you reject practices like honour killings?” should become standard.

Immigrants must demonstrate an ability to conform to Canada’s civic discourse of mutual respect and uphold our hate-crime and speech laws. Inspired by Germany’s new citizenship test questions relating to antisemitism and Israel’s right to exist, Canada should adopt a similar litmus test to ensure newcomers align with our democratic values.

We cannot hope to be a global leader if our streets become hotbeds of radicalism and fanaticism. Canada in 2025 must empower law enforcement with stronger laws to curb hateful and violent protests.

Canadians long for the safe, welcoming environment of the past. We want our children to play hockey on the streets and families to visit malls without fear of jihadis dressed like Hamas terrorists blocking their way or unfurling ridiculous posters at the Eaton Centre.

Canada must become intolerant of the intolerant, equipping police with the necessary tools to safeguard our streets and preserve public order and reducing the bureaucracy to bring forward hate-crime charges. At the heart of this transformation is the recognition that freedom and safety are not mutually exclusive, but mutually reinforcing.

At the same time, Canada must take a stand against the rising tide of “wokeism,” particularly within our universities. These institutions, once bastions of critical thought, now propagate ideologies that have given cover to radical pro-terrorist groups while marginalizing groups that conform to foundational Canadian values.

Federally funded university programs promoting such ideologies (especially DEI) should be defunded, and provinces should introduce financial repercussions for universities that fail to address the radicalism among students and faculty.

Our higher education system must return to fostering critical thinking, mutual respect and constructive dialogue. This will not only restore faith in academia, but also ensure that future generations are equipped to lead with integrity and reason.

Economic reform is another cornerstone of Canada’s renewal. Our national debt has ballooned, and the government workforce has become bloated. To alleviate economic hardships on the lower and middle classes, we must streamline the public sector and incentivize entrepreneurship.

A thriving, innovative economy is the backbone of a strong nation, and Canada must prioritize reducing financial burdens while fostering opportunities for all citizens. Tax incentives for small businesses and targeted support for startups will be key to revitalizing our economy and creating jobs that lift Canadians out of poverty.

Canada’s role on the world stage requires a long-overdue investment in our military. For decades, we have been content with outdated equipment and minimal spending on national defence. Transforming our military into a force capable of protecting our national interests, including the Arctic, will take time — but the process must begin now.

By committing to this transformation, Canada can reassert itself as a serious player on the world stage. This includes investing in cutting-edge technology, modern training programs and strategic alliances that enhance our defence capabilities.

Finally, Canada must reclaim its identity and unity. For more than 150 years, Canadians have cherished a sense of shared purpose and national pride. Unless we take serious and transformative steps, this unity will erode, leaving us vulnerable to both internal and external threats.

Our relationship with the United States underscores this urgency. The suggestion that Canada could become America’s 51st state is a sobering reminder of how far we have fallen. Only by acting decisively can we ensure Canada remains a strong, sovereign state with a clear moral compass.

In 2025, let’s make Canada a nation that stands tall on the world stage, proud of its principles and united in purpose. The world has changed — and with it, so must we.

The time for courageous, transformative change is now. By addressing these critical issues with boldness and clarity, we can rebuild a Canada that commands respect, fosters opportunity and secures a brighter future for generations to come.

National Post

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/new-years-resolution-make-canada-into-a-serious-country-again

November 29, 2024, National Post

A nation’s moral character is defined by how it treats its minorities. By this measure, Canada’s treatment of its Jewish population today raises grave concerns. Over the past decade, our national identity and the values we once upheld have eroded. Who are we as Canadians? This loss of identity has created a void, exploited by Canada’s detractors to instill values that clash with the country we once knew. 

Across government, schools, unions, and the media, a toxic environment has emerged, fuelling hostility against Jewish Canadians. When political leaders fail to stand with Israel, it gives permission for hatred to fester at home. Actions like Mélanie Joly’s visit to Ramallah, legitimizing the Palestinian Authority despite its ties to terrorism, betray Jewish Canadians and their homeland. 

Even more alarming, elected officials fail to show solidarity with Jewish communities. When mayors refuse to attend flag-raising ceremonies or a Walk for Israel, or equate terrorists with freedom fighters, they erode trust in our institutions. Leadership matters, and these failures leave a vacuum where hate thrives. 

This permissiveness has emboldened hate. Pro-Hamas demonstrators now march openly in Canadian streets, blocking traffic, torching cars, and smashing windows. In Montreal, mobs vandalized neighbourhoods and terrorized residents, while Holocaust survivors face pro-Hamas rallies mere steps from their homes. Demonstrators, emboldened by political inaction, openly venerate Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis. It’s not that politicians are unaware — they’re giving tacit approval. One mayor recently excused terrorism, saying, “Your terrorist and somebody else’s terrorist may be two different things.” 

Our universities are breeding grounds for this toxicity. Events like Israeli Apartheid Week normalize antisemitism under the guise of activism, leaving Jewish students feeling unsafe. In Ottawa, a public school chose a “Palestinian resistance” song for Remembrance Day, showcasing how propaganda infiltrates education and distorts Canadian values. 

Unions are complicit, too. By condemning Israel while ignoring Hamas’s atrocities, they deepen divides and isolate Jewish workers. Their silence in the face of antisemitism is an abdication of their responsibility to promote equality and safety for all. 

The media amplifies biased narratives, portraying Israel’s self-defence as aggression while downplaying Hamas’s brutality. This one-sided discourse fuels hostility against Jewish Canadians. When a federal employee feels emboldened to give a Nazi salute during a pro-Palestinian rally, it reflects how deeply this hate has permeated. 

Canada’s archaic hate crime laws exacerbate the problem. Despite rising antisemitic violence, arrests are rare, and accountability is almost nonexistent. Synagogues are firebombed, schools are shot at, and businesses are vandalized simply for being Jewish-owned. This growing wave of attacks stems from a movement seeking to intimidate and isolate the Jewish community — and it has flourished due to government inaction. 

The International Criminal Court’s use as a tool to delegitimize Israel further undermines justice and fairness — values Canada once upheld. When Montreal’s streets erupt in flames, protesters chant hate-fuelled slogans, and efforts strip Israel of its right to self-defence, the government not only abandons a democratic country, but emboldens its foes. 

Canada’s treatment of its Jewish population highlights a disturbing reality: we are failing the moral test of protecting our minorities. The pro-Hamas demonstrators doing the Nazi salute aren’t just targeting the Jewish community — they’re attacking the very values that define us as Canadians who liberated Europe from the Nazis. 

Canada’s leaders must act decisively. Strengthening hate crime laws, enforcing accountability, and unequivocally condemning antisemitism are essential steps. Schools and universities must be held accountable for creating safe spaces, free from radicalized narratives. 

Most importantly, Canada must reaffirm its unwavering support for Israel. Abandoning a the Jewish state isn’t just foreign policy failure — it’s a betrayal of who we are as a nation. We aren’t even taken seriously on the international scene because we have abandoned our moral compass. 

Canada once stood as a beacon of justice, fairness, and moral clarity. The erosion of these values has left a vacuum now filled with hate and division. If we say nothing, we will be nothing. It’s time to reclaim the identity and principles that once made us proud to call this country home. Canada is better than this — I am Canadian and I know we are better than this. 

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-canada-betrays-itself-by-letting-antisemitism-thrive

Former prime minister warns: 'We cannot start importing age-old hatreds onto our streets'

Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublished Nov 15, 2024 

With a crowd gathered inside, and pro-Hamas demonstrators outside attempting to disrupt the event, The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) proudly hosted a sold-out evening to honour former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper with the Defender of Israel Award. In an atmosphere charged with gratitude, AGPI’s honorary chair, Mr. Paul Godfrey, warmly introduced Harper, emphasizing his lasting impact on Canada-Israel relations and his unwavering dedication to democracy in an ever-shifting world.

The evening drew an impressive crowd of supporters — from business leaders and philanthropists to diplomats and interfaith figures — all united in their commitment to freedom and Canadian unity in the face of mounting antisemitism. In addition to honouring Stephen Harper, AGPI presented its inaugural Defender of Israel Media Award to Rob Roberts, editor-in-chief of the National Post, recognizing his journalistic courage. And in a deeply moving moment, we awarded the Lion of Judah to master sergeant Remo El-Hozayel for his bravery in rescuing hundreds from the chaos of October 7, a story of heroism that brought the room to its feet in applause.

When I sat down with Harper for our fireside chat, I felt as if I were speaking with not only a respected statesman, but also a friend to Israel and to all those who believe in justice. We spoke candidly about global challenges, Canada’s shifting stance on Israel, and the troubling surge of antisemitism that is often left unchallenged. I shared with him the questions I’m often asked when I travel, especially, “What happened to Canada?” These days, there’s a sense of disappointment, even disillusionment, in how Canada is perceived. Harper agreed, saying that this disconnect stems from Canada’s leaders not speaking out against the influences that threaten our unity. “We must stop cultivating Jihadists, antisemites, Khalistanis, Tamil Tigers, and other divisive groups. When it comes to our immigration system, we are going to have to ask ourselves some hard questions about how we screen people.”

We agreed that while most Canadians abhor divisive ideologies, we must be vigilant about bringing in people who share our values. “We cannot start importing age-old hatreds onto our streets,” Harper said firmly. “We need to do something about this — we cannot let it continue.”

As the conversation turned to the polarizing protests outside the event, I expressed my confusion. “The world feels upside down. How is it possible that people don’t understand? How can they be protesting in support of Hamas after the atrocities of October 7?” Harper’s response struck me profoundly. “Go see a pro-Israel demonstration and then go see a pro-Hamas demonstration,” he said. “The difference is that only at the Israeli demonstration will they be carrying the Canadian flag. If you see a Canadian flag at the other group, they’ll be burning it. And that’s all you need to know about why Canada should be supporting Israel — they are our friends, and the other side is not. It’s that simple.”

He also shared his concern that the larger issue lies with the rising normalization of antisemitism in Canada. “This has gone way too far,” he warned, with particular criticism for academia and the media, which he believes have fueled these trends. “We’ve got to clean this up,” he said, urging all Canadians to take action against these damaging currents.

As our conversation turned to the recent U.S. election, I asked whether he felt that Donald Trump’s resurgence signified a broader backlash against “wokeism” and the extremism seen on campuses. “I think there is a backlash, especially in the United States,” he noted. “There was a lot of concern in the press about the tenor of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests. I think that concern did indeed help the Republican Party.” Harper emphasized the importance of defending Israel as a defense of democratic values, cautioning that “if we abandon Israel on the front lines, those threats will only grow closer to us. It’s in our vital national interest to support Israel.”

Our discussion naturally led to Iran’s role in fostering instability, which he described as “the head of the snake.” He noted that the incoming U.S. administration understands the issue at hand is not just with Iran’s proxies, but with Iran itself. “Without Iran, we don’t have any of these fights,” he observed, stressing the urgency of addressing Iran’s influence.

I also had to ask the question on many Canadians’ minds: why didn’t Canada follow the U.S. in moving its embassy to Jerusalem? Harper shared that, during his tenure, significant security concerns would have made the move challenging. But he admitted that when the U.S. made the decision, “that was one of the few moments I wished I’d been back in office. I would have stood with President Trump as part of that announcement, doing the same thing.” He voiced his hope that Canada’s next government would make the move. “There is no logical reason why the Canadian embassy — or any embassy— should not be in Western Jerusalem,” he said with conviction.

In one of the most striking moments of our talk, Harper addressed the growing confusion over antisemitism and anti-Zionism. “Being against a particular Israeli policy isn’t antisemitic,” he explained, “but being against the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish state is unquestionably and unambiguously antisemitic.” He went on to add, “Saying things like ‘from the river to the sea’ or calling Israelis ‘settler-colonists’ — that’s genocidal antisemitism.” He expressed his abhorrence that any mainstream politician in Canada would tolerate this kind of language. “There is no distinction between that kind of anti-zionism and antisemitism.” And on Israel’s right to defend itself, he was equally resolute: “If you believe in Israel’s right to exist and the right of its people to live in security, then you have to believe in its right to take military action against those who threaten its existence.”

In his closing remarks, Harper shared a heartfelt message of hope. “The Jewish community has been through distressing times before, and every time, it has survived and reached even greater heights. Israel has become one of the most phenomenally successful stories in human history by every single dimension….Fight hard, retain faith, and I believe that in the long term, things will be better than ever for the Jewish people, for the State of Israel, and for western democracies being challenged by terrible forces.”

Leaving the event, our audience felt a renewed sense of purpose. Harper’s words offered not only a rallying cry for Israel’s defenders, but also a reminder of the hope and resilience that has sustained the Jewish people through centuries of adversity. He reminded us all that standing firm, speaking out, and holding fast to our principles is the most powerful strategy we have against the forces that seek to divide us.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and CEO of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-2

Statements surrounding the Israel-Hamas War from Canada's institutional and political elite are deeply concerning Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublished Oct 20, 2023  

The heinous Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel left many Canadians, particularly in the Jewish community, deeply shocked and concerned about the questionable tone coming from our government.

This week, a number of world leaders have visited Israel to show their solidarity with the Jewish state. However, Canada’s response has been marked by efforts to evacuate its citizens from the region and a pledge of $10 million in aid to both sides, reflecting a faulty and shameful desire for neutrality.

This neutrality raises questions about Canada’s moral compass. After landing in Israel on Thursday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced Hamas’ attack as an “unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism,” and unequivocally stated that the United Kingdom would stand with Israel in its time of need.

In contrast, here at home, Conservative MP Rachael Thomas found herself pleading for the CBC to label Hamas for what it is — a terrorist organization. The government voted to prevent executives from the public broadcaster from having to justify their policy of characterizing Hamas as a “militant” group rather than a “terrorist” group in front of Parliament.

This decision raised concerns about taking a stance against terrorism and evoked the question: whose side is Canada on? “What other side would you take when you have 1,400 people massacred in an evening? When you have 40 babies who are beheaded? Whose side are you on?” asked Thomas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made matters worse with his quick condemnation of the Gaza hospital attack, insinuating, based only on Hamas propaganda and without conducting a thorough investigation of his own, that Israel was to blame. This is the type of response we have seen from Israel’s enemies; it’s not what is expected from a friend and ally.

Subsequent evidence from the Israel Defence Forces and independent analysis by the Pentagon appear to confirm that the hospital attack resulted from a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket, not Israel’s actions. Canada remained silent on this matter.

Our government has also remained relatively silent on the disturbing demonstrations in our cities in support of the murder of Israelis and Jews. Silence is complicity. Thankfully, our police services have done a superb job protecting Jewish community institutions against violence.

Yet the institutional rot in this country goes much deeper. Canadian universities have been criticized for promoting antisemitism and supporting pro-Palestinian movements that target Israel and its Jewish community. Incidents of Jewish students feeling vilified and unsafe during lectures illustrate these concerns.

The mother of a first-year Jewish student at Queen’s University told me that her son felt so vilified during a lecture, he was driven to tears. A Jewish law student at the University of Ottawa also complained about feeling the need to leave class after a lecture on prison law reform turned into an anti-Israel rant.

In a letter to the uOttawa professors who conducted the lecture, Leora Shemesh, vice-president of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, the organization I founded, wrote, “You sought to use your classroom as an opportunity and podium to further perpetuate antisemitic rhetoric that is quite frankly dangerous and insulting at a time when the world is having to watch the horrors of terrorism on full display.”

The University of Toronto’s president, Meric Gertler, released a statement in which he lamented how Israel has caused “untold hardship for many Palestinians,” and expressed “profound grief for the victims of violence on both sides of this conflict.”

It was described to me by a Jewish professor as, “A despicable, cowardly statement basically suggesting moral equivalence and full ethical obfuscation. No real distinction between aggression and self-defence or between a democratic state and a terrorist entity dedicated to the extermination of the former. The arsonist and the firefighter are the same here!”

Canada should learn from its western allies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while visiting Israel on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of helping maintaining Israel’s security and continued existence, due to Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust.

Canada, too, bears a responsibility to the Jewish community, especially considering the recent controversy surrounding the honouring of a former member of the Waffen-SS by the Canadian Parliament. During the Holocaust, Canada turned its back on Jews seeking refuge, and after the war, it provided a safe haven to many Nazis.

This history, combined with recent events, has led some to question whether Canada’s political and institutional elite are siding with the wrong group, once again.

As Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.”

The hope remains that Canada can still chart a more empathetic course on the side of good — on the side of Israel.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

90 years ago, Jewish and Italian communities acted before Nazis were able to take hold of Toronto .  Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublished Aug 18, 2023  

As a Holocaust educator, there is only one fundamental final question that comes up in every workshop: could the Holocaust happen again? The question itself is not really about the Holocaust and other forms of genocide and atrocities. It’s about the very essence of human nature itself.

What turns an ordinary civilized person, who despite having an educated and perhaps even a religious upbringing into a monster? After all, the Nazis themselves were ordinary people, many of whom came from religious upbringing that was supposed to impart ethics and morality.

The infamous commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss himself hailed from a religious Catholic family where it’s said there was an emphasis on sin, guilt and the need for penance. None of that mattered, at Auschwitz, where he oversaw the murder of over 1.2 million people. At the end of every “work-day,” he would join his family for supper.

There were very few acts of defiance against the rising tide of Nazism early on, as Hitler rose to power. The ideology itself was not confined to Germany, it began spreading around the world like a virus. Hitler harnessed pre-existing, often religious based, antisemitism to spread his ideology of white power.

Toronto was not impervious to the Nazi ideology. Antisemitism was already a common thread in the fabric of the white-anglo-saxon-protestant society at the time. Most social clubs barred Jews from membership. Certain neighbourhoods and even areas in cottage country barred Jews from buying property and restrictive quotas against them existed in academia and the professions.

With Hitler’s rise to power, Nazism gained strength in Canada. Swastika clubs began forming in Toronto in the summer of 1933, months after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Their prime target was the Jewish community, the largest minority group in the city at the time. But there was another group that was also suffering discrimination, the Italians.

Predisposed to antisemitism and motivated by the rising tide of Nazism, the swastika clubs provoked Jewish people by banning them from Toronto’s beaches and displaying the swastika across the city. This week, marks the 90th anniversary of what would become known as the “Christie Pits Riot” that was the biggest most profound insurrection in the city.

It was also the most substantive act of defiance outside of Europe against the rising tide of Nazism, preceding the Holocaust. Jewish and Italian youth had had enough. When a swastika was unfurled at a baseball game held at Christie Pits, fights broke out in the city’s core between them and members of the swastika clubs.

The rampage lasted most of the night, but the swastika clubs were pushed back into the holes they crept out of. While Anti-Jewish and Anti-Italian hate persisted beyond that fateful night, the course of history in this city was forever changed.

The swastika clubs dissipated over time and the flag itself never made a substantive showing again in this city. The Jewish and Italian communities acted before Nazis were able to take hold of Toronto. Evil can be challenged. The Christie Pits riot was an invaluable lesson that showed that when good people come together, they can push back hate and discrimination, albeit non-violence is preferable.

In his farewell letter to his son before his execution, Höss wrote, “the biggest mistake of my life was that I believed everything faithfully which came from the top, and I didn’t dare to have the least bit of doubt about the truth of that which was presented to me.” Perhaps, just perhaps, had there been a Christie Pits-like riot in Berlin against the rising tide of Nazism, the Holocaust could have been averted. We must never be silent.

Christie Pits paved the way to a more tolerant and harmonious Toronto, a city that has become the central hub for immigration to Canada. The mostly respectful cultural mosaic in which we live today is built on the historic defiance of the Jewish and Italian youth who fought against hate in this city on that fateful day. We owe them our gratitude.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-christie-pits-riot-against-swastika-clubs-showed-we-can-stand-up-to-evil

June 30, 2023

Canada has reaffirmed its complicity in the murder of Israelis by renewing its aid to the Palestinians through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to the tune of $100 million over the next four years, in addition to an immediate $3 million in so-called emergency aid.

This, despite the fact that in May, Barbara Leaf, United States assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, confirmed that the Palestinian Authority continues to make so-called pay-for-slay payments to terrorists who have killed Israelis.

Payments are made to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, the families of “martyrs” killed in attacks against Israelis and to injured Palestinian terrorists. They are higher than average Palestinian wages, which further drives terrorism given that the unemployment rate hovers around 25 per cent in the West Bank.

Just last week, two Palestinian terrorists drove to a gas station and murdered Elisha Anteman, 17, Ofer Fayerman, 64, Harel Masood, 21, and Nachman Mordoff, 17. But our government, sadly, has turned a blind eye to ongoing Palestinian terrorism. Instead of punishing the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for their continued incitement and terror-incentive programs, we continue to reward this behaviour by funnelling them money.

According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, the PA spends around $300 million annually on its pay-for-slay program, or 10 per cent of its entire budget. It is only able to afford this due to international assistance coming through UNRWA, which subsidizes the cost of basic government services like health care, education and other social services.

Canada is thus helping finance terrorism against Israelis. Just because donor countries are going through a third party under the United Nations mandate does not mean their hands are clean — they are not.

Canada continues to use the now stale disclaimer that it "will remain closely engaged with UNRWA and continue to exercises enhanced due diligence for all humanitarian and development assistance funding for Palestinians. This work includes ongoing oversight, regular site visits, a systematic screening process and strong anti-terrorism provisions in funding agreements.”

But UNRWA's history shows that international oversight has never been enough. In 2014, a stockpile of Hamas rockets were found in one of its schools in Gaza. In 2021, UN Watch accused the agency’s staff of promoting antisemitism on social media.

To make matters worse, multiple reports have been published by various groups indicating that UNRWA-funded school textbooks contain antisemitic content that incites students to hate Israel. When I met with UNRWA officials, who are based in east Jerusalem, they admitted this was an ongoing problem but suggested nothing could be done about it.

By supporting UNRWA, Canada is financing the perpetual Palestinian refugee claims against Israel. In its own press release, the Canadian government noted that UNRWA also operates in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. With the assistance of UNRWA and its backers, these host countries have kept their minority Palestinian populations in a holding pattern, incentivizing them to dream about dislodging the Jews from the Jewish homeland.

Global Affairs' press release states that, “In Syria, 91 per cent of Palestinian refugee households live in absolute poverty. In Lebanon, more than 89 per cent of Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria are in critical need of sustained humanitarian assistance.” But what our government fails to explain is why this is the case.

Palestinians have been relegated to third-class status in Lebanon, Syria and even Jordan. They are restricted from advancement and not granted the same rights as ordinary citizens. By not advocating for their integration into these societies and instead funding an organization that ensures they remain perpetual refugees, we are complicit in this humanitarian crisis.

I know this article will fall on deaf ears in Ottawa. But it is important that Canadian taxpayers know how their money is being spent overseas. As a country, we need to ask ourselves if it is worth having blood on our hands.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/liberal-pledge-of-100m-to-unrwa-makes-canada-complicit-in-terrorism

Author of the article:Avi Benlolo Published Jan 13, 2023  

It was around 2012 at a reception held at Rideau Hall, when I ran into then-defence minister Peter MacKay and implored him to not pull a Canada and, instead, go through with the F-35 program no matter the cost.

I call this “pulling a Canada” because it’s a behaviour that represents our usual reversal of strategic investment especially when it comes to our own defence. As a proud Canadian, I believe we deserve the very best in order to protect our national interest, no matter the cost.

We send billions of dollars in aid to countries in need each year. We’ve now sent around a $1 billion in aid to Ukraine, as we should. But what about our own people?

Why is it when it comes to our own national defence, we repeatedly strive for second and third best? Why do we take our own freedom for granted with lax security? We bought old decrepit submarines, a few used F18s and now we can hardly get a working helicopter off the ground. Is it any wonder that fewer Canadians are joining the military.

I am proud of our service women and men. They have defended us globally with valour. But they shouldn’t do it with one hand tied behind their back. They deserve the very best in modern technology.

The world around us is becoming an increasingly dangerous place. Russia’s assault on Ukraine proves that democracies are in danger. Its well known that our northern sovereignty is under threat by Russia. China is similarly flexing its muscles by menacing Taiwan, clearly looking to become a dangerous superpower.

North Korea is shooting off missiles and testing weapons right , left and center. Meanwhile, since the downing of the Ukrainian airliner with 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents aboard in 2020, Canada’s relationship with Iran has gone from bad to worse. Iran itself is aspiring to get nuclear weapons. What then?

Without modern weaponry, Canada cannot defend itself. It became hard to believe that for a time, after pulling a Canada and nixing the F-35 program, we even considered buying used Australian fighter jets. Why are we in the relic business? Do our museums need filling?

The ultimate responsibility of any government is to ensure the security of its citizens. In the modern age, this means modern fifth and sixth generation weaponry. If we want to preserve our freedom and democracy, we need to start by putting our own oxygen mask on first.

The F-35 is a good first step to defending our nation. It can instil national pride, help rebuild our military and strengthen our relationship with allies and NATO. We expect our government to protect us by supporting our women and men in uniform and investing in the most advanced weaponry. The world has changed and so must we.

National Post

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-f-35-jets-a-good-start-canadian-armed-forces-deserve-the-best-weaponry

It’s not surprising that neo-Nazis groups are big free speech advocates

Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublishing date:Aug 12, 2022  

Regulating hate speech is controversial. I believe in free speech and shudder at the notion that criminalization of offensive speech can be used to turn the tables on us by groups with little value for western-style democracy. Canadian free-speech absolutists seek to mirror America’s First Amendment, which guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. They forget we have those same guarantees embedded in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which also guarantees freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press. They also ignore the racial turmoil that has taken place in America over these last number of years — something hate speech laws may have mitigated in Canada.

To win their case against regulating hate speech, free speech absolutists often cite U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ famous line that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Brandeis said that in a 1913 Harper’s Weekly article — much changed since that time. In fact, one wonders if Brandeis would have arrived at the same conclusion upon seeing Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime rise because of their hateful propaganda? Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, were the first to use hate in a modern way to inspire and motivate Germans and Europeans to commit the most heinous atrocity known to humanity — the Holocaust.

The sun certainly did not “disinfect” the Nazi propaganda machine. Its venomous hate was out in the open as Hitler took to the airwaves night after night directly from his now infamous rallies from Berlin to Nuremberg. His calls to eradicate the “Jewish vermin” from the face of this earth were transmitted from household to household. German media produced a daily dose of propaganda on the covers of magazines showing the virtues of Nazism while newspapers reported on the latest made-up scientific “race-theory” discovery purporting Germans to be a superior race of people that must eradicate those beneath them in order to stay holy and pure.

For all the respect he deserves, Brandeis’ assertion may have been meant for his era, but not for the coming digital revolution that would turn masses of people to hate in a nanosecond. The sun as warm and beautiful as it may be, could not disinfect human hate when it is propagated by lies. Absolute free speech advocates do not to understand the past. For all the academic and legal wranglings and arguments, they fail to draw on a basic fact: There was a direct line from Hitler’s words to his deeds. It’s not surprising therefore that neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups are also big free speech advocates. They want to say what they please and build up a base for support.

In 1913 Brandeis could not have predicted an industrialized scale of propaganda to motivate the masses. He certainly could not have predicted the onramp of an information digital superhighway 100 years later that could spread hatred to billions of people in a fraction of a second. In 2020, TikTok said it removed 380,000 hateful videos in the United States and banned 1,300 account and removed 64,000 hateful comments. Similarly, there was  roughly 4.2 million antisemitic tweets posted on Twitter in 2017, according to Anti-Defamation League report. In Canada, a 2019 Leger poll showed that 60 per cent of Canadians report seeing hate speech on social media. This would mean that 20 million Canadians have witnessed hate online. One 2020 study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found 6,600 extremist channel pages in Canada.

The ADL reported recently that 58 per cent of marginalized people in the U.S. surveyed reported hate-based harassment in the past 12 months, unchanged from 2021. Not surprisingly, minorities, women and LGBTQ communities receive the highest form of online harassment. While no one wants to police the internet and we all wish to preserve free speech, its clear to most that online hate must be regulated in an effort to avert violence. Canada lags behind most European countries who for nearly a decade have been optimizing laws to control the proliferation of digital hate.

The German penal code, for example, prohibits publicly denying the Holocaust and disseminating Nazi propaganda, both off- and online. This includes sharing images such as swastikas, wearing an SS uniform and making statements in support of Hitler. First enacted in 2017, the Network Enforcement Act was recently amended to obligate social media networks to remove content that is “clearly illegal” within 24 hours after receiving a use complaint or be fined up to 50 million Euros for noncompliance. There are claims that such laws are ineffective because Antisemitism is increasing. Such claims fail to realize that existing hate crime laws likely prevent an even more substantive increase.

In 2014, Canada repealed Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which made communicating hate speech by “telephonic” or digital means illegal. Since then, the proliferation of online hate material and communications has proliferated exponentially. At the same time, social media sites have increased in size and scope and themselves have attempted to curtail hate speech, but it’s not enough. In 2021, the Government of Canada announced it was taking action to protect Canadians against hate speech and hate crimes by introducing Bill-C-36 to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Unfortunately, the bill seems to have been stalled mainly because of objections over its impact on free speech.

In actuality, criminalizing and regulating hate speech would protect our freedom and democracy from the purveyors of hate who wish to undermine it by sowing dissent and discord. When we allow the marketplace to decide on extreme ideas, particularly when they are antisemitic and racist, human history has demonstrated failure in ethics and morality. We humans may have advanced in many areas in society. Sadly, we have yet to overcome our primal state and tribalism that seeks out hate and violence. We still need laws in place to protect us from ourselves.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-why-legislation-to-stop-harmful-and-vile-hate-spreading-online-is-needed

As a nation, we need to look in the mirror. Do we still recognize ourselves? We are tearing ourselves apart. From so-called "freedom convoys" and name-calling and inflammatory language about swastikas in Parliament, to the activation of the Emergencies Act, it would not be surprising if few Canadians recognize their country anymore. Worse, many smart, successful and strong contributing Canadians have confided to me that they are contemplating leaving (or have left) out of fear of what our nation is becoming. 

They see political instability, a changing economy, racism in our schools and communities, and most significantly, a loss of place among leading nations.  We have turned inward and against each other during the past couple of years. We are less unified from coast to coast and more frustrated. Many Canadians passionately love their country and long for the good old days when “true patriot love” meant something. When in childhood we sang “Kumbaya” at school assemblies, we knew that no matter where we came from, no matter what our faith, culture or race — we were all Canadian. We grew up and charged ahead, building a magnificent, pluralistic "multicultural" social fabric that brought us all together under one tent.  Rightly or wrongly, it's this dream of togetherness that fostered our sacred Bill of Rights, then its successor, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the Multiculturalism Act. Despite their obvious imperfections, they aimed to free us from prejudices brought from the "old-country." They aimed to mould us into one community. Into one nation. Into one united people.  

The world became envious of our success. Other Western nations sent experts, academics and diplomats to learn how we had succeeded in bringing more than 250 ethnicities together in unity. Canada became a model of pluralism, freedom, democracy and human rights. We took centre stage on the global platform and became accepted as the world’s peacekeeping nation. Now my American friends are asking me daily, “What is happening up there?”  Canada was hardly perfect. Our treatment of the Chinese and Japanese early the past century was abhorrent. We were racist and also refused Jewish refugees running for their lives from the German Nazis. 

The worst and most horrific part of our national story is our treatment of our First Nations peoples. The revelation of unmarked graves near residential schools and churches brought home the reality of an incredibly dark past. All of this has been simmering for many years and it's now boiling over.  It's not too late to save our dream of building a utopia. First and foremost, we need to work harder to unify our country from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean. Everyone needs to be heard and respected. Second, we need to break down barriers between ethno-cultural communities, bringing them together through dialogue and friendship. Our common denominator is Canada and our mutual aspiration must be to “stand on guard” for our nation.  

Thirdly, we need to rebuild our national vision — one that showcases how each of us belongs. Where are we going as a nation? What will we become in the next 30 to 50 years? We need a manifesto for the future that unifies everyone and reinforces our national pride.  Finally and most significantly, the world needs us. While we are busy ripping each other to shreds, Eastern Europe is on the brink of a catastrophic war that could reshape our world order. Not only that; we have pulled away from engaging in the Middle East and taking any part in negotiation efforts between Iran and the rest of the world. How can we possibly stand by while North Korea tests more missiles, China oppresses and subjugates its Uyghur population, and Syria massacres innocents while Hezbollah and Hamas continue to arm themselves? How dare we shirk our responsibility and leadership and goodwill that we had always based our national interest upon?  And how dare we as a nation sit quietly while our allies are abused?  

Yes, two weeks ago, along with former senator Jerry Grafstein, we challenged Canada to disavow the shameful Amnesty International report against Israel. Yet, our government sat quietly. We could have taken a global position.   Canada must lead by example. We need to be the change we want others to emulate. If not us, then who? How can we demand justice, rights and freedoms from other nations, when we are having a challenge upholding these very virtues? It's time for Canada to stand up tall and proud. 

To exemplify our strength and our vision. To become the nation that as youngsters we were taught to believe in, as we sang our beautiful national anthem in the company of other children from all sorts of other backgrounds. Yes, maybe I am longing for a childhood dream. But when there is a loss of identity and direction, that's the time to draw on the strength of your childhood. That’s when things start becoming crystal clear again. Canada, let's get back to our foundation.  

National Post Avi Abraham Benlolo is the founder and chairman of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative.  February 18, 2022

Last week’s debacle at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute in Toronto’s Flemington Park, where students led a walkout in which chants and signs of “Free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” figured prominently, sent a shockwave through the Jewish community. To add insult to injury, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) responded to the protest with a letter to parents saying there were “multiple meanings” for what critics deemed obvious calls for the ethnic cleansing of the Jewish people from the land of Israel.

“Multiple meanings?” When they were talking about “from the river to the sea,” they are calling for the removal of the Jewish people from their homeland. The “river” referred to is the Jordan River, and the “sea” is the Mediterranean. Israel lies between these two bodies of water. Since 80 per cent of the population between the “river and the sea” are Israeli Jews, it is quite clear /there is only one meaning to the chants and signage promoted by the students at Marc Garneau: the destruction of the State of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants.

Here is the blatant truth: the Palestinians should be freed from their subjugation and oppression by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. They are the ones holding Palestinians captive, not Israel. They are the ones running terror-sponsoring organizations, not Israel. They are the ones allegedly using money from foreign donors to build terror tunnels and purchase rockets to launch against Israel, instead of spending it on hospitals, roads and schools. The Palestinian Authority recently cancelled its supposed fourth “democratic” election in nearly two decades of dictatorship. So, the slogan is missing a few more words: “Free Palestine from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.”

While students should be free to exercise their democratic freedom to protest, calls for the destruction of another group or nation must be widely condemned and our hate-speech laws invoked. Since Hamas launched an aggressive war against Israel last May, Jewish teachers and students have felt victimized by the increased level of anti-Semitism in Toronto’s school system and beyond. In a letter to the TDSB this week, a group called Educators Against Antisemitism appealed to the director of education, saying that “Jewish staff consistently feel unsafe in their workplace solely for the reason they are Jewish.” The group says “there appears to be a recent pattern to ignore anti-Semitism within the school board, or at the very least, to stand idly by thus allowing its existence with minimal-to-no intervention.”

Over the past number of months, what has become apparent is that when it comes to advancing equity and diversity in the school system — or just respect for each other — these values don't seem to apply to Jewish staff and students. They are left feeling marginalized as guest lecturers rail against the Jewish state, and narratives are promoted without context or an opposing point of view that sets aside misconceptions. In my experience, most anti-Israel “social-justice warriors” are shocked when they learn they are advocating for a radical Islamic group in Gaza (Hamas) and the continued suppression of women’s rights and LGBTQ rights — not to mention a lack of democratic freedoms in Gaza and the West Bank.

Many university campuses have already been lost to anti-Semitism and poor contextual understanding of the situation in the Middle East. Sadly, many educators have sided with dangerous and oppressive regimes instead of Israel, the only democracy in the region. Now our public school system has become politicized and finds itself under attack by ideology inconsistent with Canadian values that promote freedom and democracy. This counter-narrative is an attack on us all, not just the Jewish community, and the teachers and students. For our part in countering this dangerous path, The Abraham Global Peace Initiative reached out to the Toronto school board with an eight-point recommendation tool that educators may use in re-positioning their work in anti-racism education and culturally responsive pedagogies.

Leaders in education must take action against the continued growth and normalization of anti-Semitism in the school system. If schools are the engines of promoting inclusivity and good citizenship, language that promotes hate and exclusion must be vigorously condemned and disallowed. School boards must also recognize their accountability and culpability for generating and even enabling anti-Semitism, and immediately take measures to combat this and all forms of racism. Our future as a nation is at stake.

National Post

November 19, 2021

Avi Abraham Benlolo is the Founder and Chairman of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

By Avi Abraham Benlolo and Jerry S. Grafstein

If there was any doubt that anti-Semitism as a social plague is being overblown, any uncertainties should be cast aside. What has happened in this country over the past couple of weeks has been despicable and completely out of step with the importance Canadians place on championing diversity and combatting racism.

Sadly, anti-Semitism in this country is no longer being practised solely on the margins of society. It is playing out before our eyes, so absurdly and uncomprehensively, that it is becoming difficult for many people to distinguish hatred of Jewish people from common everyday conversation. Conspiracy theories and double standards have become so commonplace they attract little notice.

The outrageous witch hunt of Annamie Paul, recently resigned leader of the Green party, is a case in point. Writing in these pages a few months before Paul's resignation this past Monday, the Greens' former president, Paul Estrin, wrote a scathing piece arguing that "outbursts of Jew-hatred" from within the Green party exemplify "the violent attitudes that pervade the human rights and environmental communities." Instead of championing a Jewish woman of colour who came into the party with distinction and charisma, the party relentlessly pursued her for her nuanced approach to the Middle East conflict.

About a week before Paul's resignation, a video emerged from a French Catholic secondary school in North Bay, Ont., showing students running across a field shouting "Heil Hitler" and performing the Nazi salute. Most of us were shocked. Had another group been targeted by an act with similar racist underpinnings, a major inquiry would have ensued. But it's just anti-Semitism, silly. It's just a TikTok challenge and the internet itself is full of anti-Semitism anyway. It's no one's fault, is the overall public sentiment. The kids, the school, the Catholic church, the community are totally innocent. No they are not.

Statistics Canada reports that hate crimes targeting the Jewish and Black populations remain the most common types of such crime in Canada. In fact, in 2019, hate crimes in general reportedly increased in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Manitoba. While the Jewish community comprises less than three per cent of the population, it is still the most targeted in police-reported hate crimes motivated by religion. Yet the problem of anti-Semitism is addressed disproportionately. For example, the assaults on Jewish Canadians on the streets of Toronto and elsewhere in this country during Hamas' recent war with Israel should have been treated as a national emergency.

But wait. The worst was yet to come. Just last week the Toronto District School Board hosted a guest speaker who chose to divert his presentation to teachers about anti-Black racism to focus attention on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His diatribe was disturbing. Many teachers present thought he was calling Jews white supremacists, thieves and colonizers.

While many Jewish teachers felt marginalized by the incident, the board has yet to issue an apology for what many deemed were anti-Semitic remarks. Indeed, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism as accepted by three dozen nations posits that "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour" is anti-Semitic. The false notion that Jews are racist and are not indigenous to their land must stop.

Anti-Semitism has become audacious. It's showing once again a surprising willingness to take bold risks. It's showing an impudent lack of respect starting from our very young to our professionals. Many have become so consumed by the Palestinian narrative for example, that they feel justified to express false and even mythological concepts that rise to the level of anti-Semitism. If we have learned anything from the past, it is that we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to such injustice. This must become a national priority.

Elie Wiesel, the eloquent witness to the Holocaust, said at a conference in Cordoba, Spain — the birthplace of Maimonides, one of Judaism's greatest teachers — that you can "teach a child to love or hate." It all depends on the parents and teachers, or both.

Avi Abraham Benlolo is the founder and chairman of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative. Jerry S. Grafstein, Q.C., is a former Canadian Senator.

Now that our federal election is over, let's turn our attention to helping a world in crisis.

In Canada, we live in a relative bubble of safety and security. Our police and security services operate at the highest levels to ensure our daily lives are not impacted by the war-torn world that envelops us. 

But they cannot shield us from everything for very long. We must ask ourselves: how can we preserve our freedom and democracy and relative economic security before the world’s rage comes to our shore?

Canada has turned inwards over the last couple of years, and the situation has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most countries to “self-isolate.”

The war against the pandemic is hardly over, but with the United Nations General Assembly in full swing, leaders are making it clear that we are living in a world that's teetering on the brink of disaster. Not surprisingly, the biggest issues being articulated from nearly every leader that took the podium, starting with UN Secretary General António Guterres, are the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

When I met with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman many years ago, his main focus was combating terrorism and extremism, which was destabilizing the region at the time. At the General Assembly, he reiterated this sentiment, but, uncharacteristically for a Middle Eastern leader, he also called for a “rethink” of international efforts against climate change and the pandemic.

These are issues Canada can aggressively champion on the world stage. We should spearhead an international task force that can pool resources and quickly deploy to address emerging health and climate threats.

While Canada has been mostly mum about Iran going nuclear, King Salman of Saudi Arabia told the General Assembly that his country supports efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring the bomb. “The kingdom insists on the importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction," he said. "On this basis, we support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons.”

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiations are clearly failing. Canada can reach out, both directly and multilaterally, to try and break the impasse and bring the Iranians onside.

Many countries are struggling to maintain order, peace and security. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei spoke about the disparity of vaccine distribution between rich and poor countries, which is leading to social upheaval, mass migration and a “scourge” of drug trafficking.

We are seeing the results of this desperation on America’s southern border, as Haitian migrants try to reach prosperity, safety and security. In fact, there is a global mass immigration crisis in general, as more and more people flee disintegrating countries.

Millions of refugees have converged on Europe in the last decade since the Arab Spring. But now, new global threats are emerging in the region, particularly as Lebanon teeters on economic collapse and Hezbollah grows stronger.

Lebanon, once known for its diversity of faiths and cultures living mostly peacefully, is now on the verge of a Syrian-like disaster that will consume the fractured nation. Its educated populace is fleeing, particularly after the port explosion, which left behind even more desperation.

Canada can lead against the threat of global insecurity — or at least have a pronounced voice in pushing our brand of freedom and democracy. At the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, we are continually thinking about how to promote the Canadian model that can help war-torn countries like Yemen and Ethiopia, pulling them out of conflict and alleviating famine.

Canada can play a leading role role in advancing human rights and in becoming the world’s moral compass. It’s our time to shine.

(September 24, 2021 National Post)

With the launch of the federal election campaign, it has not taken long for the first instances of anti-Semitic behaviour to appear.  Election signs from Liberal and NDP candidates in areas of Montreal with significant Jewish populations were defaced with swastikas and had to be removed.  Party leaders have condemned the action – targeted primarily against Jewish Liberal Party of Canada candidates Anthony Housefather in Mount Royal and Rachel Bendayan in Outremont, both sitting MPs.  This is nothing new in election campaigns, but it has started early and is likely to persist.

Anti-vaxxer demonstrations outside a gym in Laval, a northern suburb of Montreal, have adopted the yellow Star of David as a symbol of the public shaming of the non-vaccinated, equivocating the discrimination with the targeting of Jews by Hitler in the prewar period.  Either this was chosen out of ignorance of the historical significance, or deliberately to attract media attention to their cause.  No matter what, it is the hurtful misappropriation of a historical symbol of the Holocaust in a highly inappropriate and trivializing manner.  While not exclusive to Montreal, the high number of Holocaust survivors who settled in Montreal after the war, and their descendants, makes it a very sensitive issue here.

Our populist provincial government, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), introduced Bill 21 early in its mandate to ban the wearing of religious symbols by those in positions of authority who represent the state, which includes health care workers.  This includes the kippah.  The fallout from this legislation continues to put many observant Jews who are doctors or senior administrators in a difficult or impossible position to keep their jobs.  Legal challenges continue against the law, but no federal politicians will criticize the legislation for fear of offending the francophone majority in the regions outside of Montreal who massively support the legislation.

The CAQ has also introduced Bill 86, an act designed to re-enforce the original Bill 101 that made French the only official language of Quebec in the mid-1970s.  This bill seeks to extend francization to small businesses of 25 employees or more, down from the current threshold of 50.  It also empowers employees to “tattle” on those speaking languages other than English in the workplace if they feel that their right to work in French is compromised.  The government has pre-emptively included the Notwithstanding Clause from the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the legislation, knowing that the bill could be successfully challenged otherwise.

Overall, this is a difficult time for minorities in Quebec, not just for Jews.  Muslims, Asians, people of colour, all face suspicion as “the other” in the post-COVID environment of uneven economic recovery that tears at the fabric of social cohesion.  We will see how this evolves during the federal election campaign, with the vote scheduled for September 20th.

A new geopolitical order is taking shape. The globe is rapidly realigning under American and Chinese spheres of influence and the pandemic has only raised the stakes. How can Canada finally get serious about its internal stability and external security so it can effectively play a role as a middle power? 

Somewhere along the way, we forgot to be proud of our great nation. We lost our national identity. We became confused about who we are as a nation and where we are going. In our vastness, we somehow lost our national character and became rudderless and more self-interested.

The next prime minister not only needs to work harder at bringing all Canadians together, he or she needs to zero-in on the very meaning of being Canadian and make it actionable. Our combined identity must be more than beer, beavertails and scenic landscapes. We need a comprehensive business plan that engages all citizens about the Canada they want to see by 2050 and a fundamental reinvention of our role in the world.

Canadians are generally a quiet bunch in comparison with our neighbours down south or across the pond in say, France or Belarus. But while we still have a chance to shape our future, it’s time for us to say enough is enough with scandals, deceptions and empty promises. They are there to obfuscate from the fact we have lost our way, especially on the world stage. We need to arm ourselves with a clear sense of priorities before they get shaped for us by other players and forces.

Where once we stood tall against communism and proudly with our NATO allies and our peacekeeping missions, today our foreign policy essentially rests on how much money we can spend around the world. But with U.S. dominance in transition, how are we preparing to protect ourselves in a more chaotic world order? Rather than strengthening our national defence with top-of-the-line equipment like  F-35s to give us military edge, we devalue our national interests by purchasing used planes, subs and helicopters. How will we defend our north against Russian incursion?

Having lost our bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, we turned inward instead of putting our vision forward in foreign affairs. We can still engage in multilateralism with like-minded nations and re-energize our foreign policy in areas we excel in — including human rights, climate change, peace, refugees and non-proliferation treaties for weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, we need to forward-think and engage in the digital revolution and new technologies and create global policies around cyber-technology.

The coronavirus pandemic and a prorogued Parliament has turned our attention inward. But the day after COVID-19 is quickly approaching. What will our place in the world be? Will we keep ignoring critical international developments like the recent Israel-UAE-Bahrain peace agreement that was signed at the White House? Canadian television stations gave little live coverage of this historic event — shutting out Canadians from participating in this critical dialogue.

Aside from negotiating trade agreements with the U.S. administration, we appear to be misaligned with our greatest friend and neighbour. With democracy under threat, a Russia that is flexing its muscle, and new technologies spreading false information like viruses, this is the time to strengthen our relationship with America. And given our shared values and interests, we should be working together in all things, especially a COVID-19 vaccine.

Instead, we feel more alone each day. This week’s throne speech mostly focused inward and touched only in passing on Canada’s intent to create and maintain “bilateral and multilateral relationships to advance peace and economic prosperity.” While calling for Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor to be brought home, we failed to condemn China for its arbitrary arrests and its repression of the Uyghurs and its own citizens in Hong Kong.

China will come to the table if we strengthen our position and communicate effectively. As a start, we must stop sending contradictory messages and proudly reaffirm our belief in democracy and human rights. The revelation, for example, about secret talks with the repressive North Korean regime to open an embassy in Pyongyang shows we might be willing to tolerate unsavoury nations. At one point, we even considered reopening our embassy in Tehran. The pursuit of alliances with despots who promote terror and nuclearization hurt our brand as a peaceful nation.

We need to begin imagining a post-COVID world with Canada’s reinvented role within it. It’s time to reinvigorate our global affairs to mobilize international coalitions and navigate a new position — a new vision that brings national pride. Canada can build new alliances in Africa, in the Middle East and in South America. 

As a First World powerhouse, we can strive for economic independence and sustainability and work towards standing up for ourselves.

The world is a mess and this can be our opportunity to lead. America and Europe are struggling with political, racial and economic divisions. Africa is fighting poverty, crime and conflict while the Middle East is a tinderbox for extremists. In this, Canada can emerge as a global leader. We have a chance to seize this moment by realigning our brand and vision. We need to be assertive, expand our international presence and re-friend our traditional allies while developing military might. That kind of vigour will unify Canadians, promote national identity and put us back on the world stage.

If there is any truth to the age old saying that those who forget the past are destined to repeat it, remembrance and national pride are integral to ensuring a better, more peaceful world for future generations. But we take our freedom for granted and in this pandemic-laden world, where everyone is hunkered down behind screens, it is easy to forget what truly matters — kindness and compassion. These are Canadian values, and they are values that our country can, and should, promote around the world.

In this day and age — when morality is defined by self-need, when hypocrisy in the name of human rights has turned the world upside down, when individualism has overtaken community and when the underpinnings of freedom and democracy have been eroded — the need to remember who we are and what we stand for is urgent.

Democracy is in jeopardy. The Arab Spring brought hope for a better world. But 10 years on, we have a genocide in Syria, turmoil in Libya and Tunisia and near-disaster in Egypt. America tried to bring democracy to Iraq by toppling Saddam Hussein, but that too proved to be a disaster. The Middle East, in other words, is back to square one.

Now, China has taken restrictive measures against Hong Kong; Russia has arrested a leading opposition leader; and a United Nations fact-finding mission underscored serious concerns about rights abuses in Venezuela. Freedom House says that “authoritarian actors grew bolder during 2020 as major democracies turned inward, contributing to the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.”

As the pandemic rages on, governments are increasingly employing violence against their own citizens and dissenters living abroad. An Iranian-Canadian dissenter recently confided to me that he fears for his life. The Jamal Khashoggi murder in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey accentuates the reality of extrajudicial state killings.

Freedom, democracy and pluralism help foster peaceful societies, and they are worth preserving. Our system, though imperfect, has wiped out centuries of oppression, slavery, war and conflict. In contrast, in failed states and dictatorships that turn a blind eye to, or actively participate in, atrocities, terrorist groups like ISIL are once again growing in strength and wreaking havoc on villages. Organizations like Boko Haram continue to kidnap young boys and girls, turning them into child soldiers.

The handful of leading democratic states like the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, France, Germany and Israel stand between us and them. These countries, and many others, are responsible for the advancement of health, science, education and technology, and offer a standard of living and a way of life that is the envy of billions of people worldwide. This is why Western countries generally enjoy an inflow of immigrants who desire the personal fulfillment and prosperity that freedom offers.

Canada must turn its attention to being a significant international voice for freedom and humanity. We must be a voice for the oppressed and the destitute. We must project and promote democratic programs and projects. And we must use our strong brand to make peace and promote human rights around the world.

I worry because the pandemic has made us more insular. Yet the world needs more Canada now more than ever. Our brand of freedom is welcoming and inclusive. It is time to step out into the sunlight and make the world a better place.  We can do this.

We are blessed to be living in Canada. We are afforded every opportunity to collaborate, co-exist and and build a nation that sets an example for the world. But the devastating events of the last couple of weeks including horrific revelations of 215 children buried at a B.C. residential school; an outbreak of anti-Semitism from pro-Palestinian protesters across the country and the horrific murder of a Muslim family, have left me wondering if Canadians can ever overcome racism and live in harmony.

Canada’s history is grounded in racism and discrimination. From the incomprehensible ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide of our Indigenous communities; to the head-tax of the Chinese population; the internment of Japanese and Italian communities during the Second World War to an unbelievable human rights catastrophe by refusing Jewish refugees fleeing from the Holocaust, as a “none is too many” policy. 

These are just a few of the many disturbing episodes in the dark corners of our national history. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission began an introspection into this nation’s past and possibly a window into a better future. There is so much more.

But through determination, we began rising as a nation. We began paving a path to an identity greater than our individualism. We distanced ourselves from the polarization and historic generational conflicts around the world — and even came to believe we could create a new utopia. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms breathed life into the idea that Canada should be underpinned by freedom, justice and liberty. While celebrating multiculturalism we were bemoaning the intolerance of the past. We set up human rights commissions; an office to investigate warcrimes and installed a series of laws to counter hate crimes.

Internationally, brand Canada is recognized and respected and we have earned this respect by creating a society that puts respect and acceptance first.

After the violence of the last number of weeks, our social fabric is coming apart. Canadians no longer feel safe and secure in their own homes. In one of my lectures this week, a Jewish child asked me if its still safe to wear a kippah on the street. Our political leaders have begun engaging in partisan politics, exacerbating internal fear and strife playing into the recent conflict between the terrorist group, Hamas and Israel. 

Shockingly, some Parliamentarians have been issuing letters critical of Israel to their constituents and to Parliament itself — which have only fanned inter-communal animosity. Some public groups have issued statements supporting the anti-Semitic boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel while Jewish staff have reached out to me about feeling discriminated against in their own companies and organizations.

This is not my Canada. It was heart wrenching to see the violent anti-Semitic demonstrations on our city streets. Mobs of pro-Palestinian protestors disregarded our very foundational values of respect, tolerance and peaceful protest and violently attacked Jewish protestors. Fearing for their lives, Jewish residents set up street patrols and called on authorities to break their silence and condemn and act upon the prevailing anti-Semitism that shattered the safety and security of our cities. 

The murder of the Muslim family in London afforded a missed opportunity for us to come together as Canadians. Immediately following the tragedy, I issued a statement on behalf of the Jewish community expressing “my heartfelt condolences to my brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith”. I said, “I wish to reassure them that they can count on us to stand with them at this difficult moment and that we unequivocally condemn this outrageous attack”. 

Following my statement, I began reaching out to my friends in the Muslim community, including the London Mosque with the same message. Not surprisingly, my message was embraced by the Jewish community at large.

We were all shocked however when in front of the Canadian Prime Minister, Ontario’s Premier and major party leaders, the final speaker at the televised vigil for the family said: “whatever is happening in Jerusalem and Gaza is related to what is happening in London, Ontario”. While he says his words are misconstrued, his comment was met with criticism over what seemed to be an attempt to “relate” the two events in reference to “foreign policy.” It was disappointing to see what appears to be a politicization of an important gathering with respect to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

The cheers from the crowd and the “free Palestine” chants following his remarks, did not make things better for Canada. Worse, the silence from our elected officials in attendance cannot be disregarded.

As Canadians, we have made tremendous strides toward cooperation and collaboration over the last number of years. Following the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, I hosted a high level meeting of interfaith leaders who came together to condemn hatred for all. Today, I am choosing to have hope over despair; to continue reaching out to Canadians; to strengthen my interfaith friendships and interfaith outreach. And most importantly, to encourage a universal framework against hate and intolerance. After all, I am Canadian and so are you.

The double standard of voting against the Jewish state on one hand while fighting anti-Semitism and memorializing the Holocaust on the other really misses the mark

Are countries that condemn anti-Semitism hypocritical when they vote unfairly against Israel at the United Nations? That was the question we asked in an informal poll of followers on Twitter a few days ago.  Obviously, being our followers, 94 per cent of them agreed that voting against Israel while condemning anti-Semitism was hypocritical.

These countries pretend to have morals, principles and virtues when it comes to condemning hate against Jews. But on the international stage, where the consequences of a vote could lead to higher oil prices or put a strain on diplomatic relations with some countries, voting against the Jews, whether in the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council, has become second nature.

Many of us applauded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent appointment of my friend Irwin Cotler as Canada’s envoy to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Yet, just the week prior, Canada voted for a jaw-dropping resolution that called for Palestinian self-determination, while failing to acknowledge Jewish self-determination.

In reaction, UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer Tweeted, “Shame: Canada’s Justin Trudeau government just joined the jackals at the UN by voting for a one-sided resolution singling out Israel, co-sponsored by Syria, Venezuela and North Korea.” Canada’s vote came as a shock given its longstanding friendship with Israel and, generally speaking, its positive voting record with Israel at the UN.

Still, that resolution, if you subscribe to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism — and Canada says it does — is anti-Semitic. The definition actually gives a precise example: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” falls into the category of anti-Semitism. Thus, excluding the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in the resolution contravened the very nature and spirit of the internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism.

We cannot continue applauding initiatives to condemn anti-Semitism and promote Holocaust education, while the Jewish state — as the embodiment of the Jewish people — continues to be bashed unfairly. This year’s targeting of Israel at the UN included the usual package of some 20 different motions condemning it — and only seven aimed at other countries.

Since 2015, there have been 96 resolutions at the UN condemning Israel and only seven for Syria, five for North Korea, four for Iran and three for Myanmar. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, commented that, “No other country in the world faces such discrimination in the UN — and it is time for more UN members to join our struggle to challenge the organization’s anti-Israel agenda.”

It’s hard to believe that Canada is joining this parade of hate internationally while telling the Canadian Jewish community that it’s fighting anti-Semitism. Yet Canada is not alone in this double standard. The European Union has been making a point about fighting anti-Semitism and promoting Holocaust remembrance recently, all while joining in on the Israel-bashing at the UN.

More and more European countries, and even municipalities, are endorsing the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. And just this week, the Council of the European Union adopted a declaration that calls for “new ways to remember the Holocaust in a meaningful way.” The declaration even goes as far as demanding a “strong and systematic judicial response” to rising anti-Semitism and online hate.

Something here just doesn’t compute. The European Union’s report says that, “The increase in threats to Jewish persons in Europe including the resurgence of conspiracy myths, public expressions of anti-Semitism, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increase in anti-Semitic incidents and hate crime is a cause of great concern.”

But did the EU, and Canada for that matter, ever stop to consider that widespread condemnation of the Jewish state at the UN and affiliate agencies may actually be contributing to the rise in anti-Semitism on the streets? If Israel can be bullied at the UN by our leaders, why would people think it’s wrong to attack Jews elsewhere?

On the heels of this anti-Israel momentum, a counter-attack is brewing against the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism — particularly the sections that protect the right to a Jewish homeland. Just this week in the Guardian, 122 Palestinian and Arab academics, journalists and intellectuals denounced the definition, saying that they “profoundly disagree” with the idea that “Israel in its current reality embodies the self-determination of all Jews.”

So, just as the UN passes a resolution advocating for Palestinian self-determination, the self-determination of the Jews comes into question.

International bodies like UNESCO, the European Union and even the United Nations can continue condemning anti-Semitism and promoting Holocaust education, but it’s all smoke and mirrors as long as they continue condemning the Jewish state at the UN. Canada must return to its principled policy of standing up for a friend, an ally and the only democracy in the Middle East. The double standard of voting against the Jewish state on one hand while fighting anti-Semitism and memorializing the Holocaust on the other really misses the mark.

Time to take action against hate online

It's time for Canada to reassert itself against online hate. The first step would be to restore Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. 

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects us from many of the tyrannies inflicted by despotic regimes elsewhere in the world. But it does not protect against the promotion to the spread of hate and intolerance on the internet and social networking sites. The internet has no borders, no laws and no regulation, and now threatens our peaceful way of life.

Canadians pride themselves on tolerance and respect for diversity, a running platform for most of our political parties. For example, in his acceptance speech for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership, Erin O’Toole eloquently made a point of wanting to broaden the tent from coast to coast. He said, “I believe whether you are Black, white, brown, or from any race or creed, whether you are LGBT or straight, whether you are an Indigenous Canadian, you are an important part of Canada.”  

So for the most part, we cherish inclusivity as a hallmark of our human rights values. But we have failed when it comes to regulating hate online. Our inability to act upon hate speech on internet platforms was a focus point of a 2018 parliamentary commission (in which I testified) that sought community advice. Nothing special happened after that.

Since then, things have gotten worse. Just a few weeks ago, a global uproar ensued against postings on the TikTok app in which teenagers dressed up like concentration camp prisoners, in what many called Holocaust-pornography. Given the uproar, the app released a new hate speech policy and said it had removed an astonishing number of videos (380,000) in the United States and banned 1,300 accounts and removed 64,000 hateful comments. Twitter and Facebook have also moved to produce regulation and policy with regard to hatred emanating on their platform. This is all a good start.

But much of this social change has been driven by public user advocacy, like a 48-hour walkout campaign on Twitter last month called “#nosafespaceforjewhatred”.  A number of British politicians, celebrities, high profile leaders and members signed off of Twitter for two days — forcing the platform to take action. Twitter says it may block “Content that promotes violence against, threatens or harasses other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”

Canada has significant hate speech laws, however, in 2013, it shockingly dropped Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, the so called “hate speech provision.”  The law held that “communication of hate messages by telephone or on the internet” could be brought to the federal Human Rights Commission.

The section was effective against neo-Nazi websites and provided a way to challenge internet service providers hosting hate sites. Now, the situation has become intolerable, as public protests mount and people feel violated and bullied by the vile language and images they see online. They say the internet is fast becoming a tool for the wicked and those who wish to exploit impressionable minds.

It’s time for Canada to take control of the situation, to reassert itself against online hate. The first step would be to restore Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. The next step would be to penalize service providers with heavy fines (like France does) if they do not remove hate speech. Finally, Canada must set up an office (like the CRTC) to monitor the internet, take complaints, act upon them and educate the public.

Our human right to live free of online hate and intolerance must be acted on immediately. Canada must continue being a beacon of light and hope for all peoples by championing humanity and standing up for dignity and compassion online and in the real world. Because we are Canadian.

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Neo Nazi Threat in Canada

It may have taken place 14,000 kilometres away, but the recent trial of a killer in New Zealand highlights the threat that white supremacist neo-Nazi groups pose to open societies. The killer entered a mosque and shot 51 people in cold blood and injured 40 others — all because of a racist ideology.

Rooted in Nazism, that ideology is based on Hitler’s false notion of racial superiority. At the top were the Germans, or “Aryans” — people with white skin, fair hair and light eyes who were supposedly physically stronger than all others. Based on theories of genetics, evolution and the notion of racial impurity, the Nazis classified races, placing Jews at the bottom of their made-up hierarchy.

It was a calculated strategy designed to delegitimize, marginalize and dehumanize Jews, along with groups like the Roma and even people with disabilities. Jews, for instance, were described and portrayed in Nazi imagery as rats and vermin. Physical measurements such as the size of their skulls, their noses and their height were used in propaganda materials to show that they had evolutionary deficiencies, in order to ready the German population for the eventual annihilation of the Jews.

Hitler and the Nazis may be gone, but their ideology survives and, in some cases, thrives. The New Zealand shooter produced a manifesto alluding to “white genocide” conspiracy theories. His manifesto allegedly contained anti-immigrant sentiments and concern over non-European immigrants invading the country — a common perception among white supremacists and nationalists.

With all this in mind, Canadians have much to be concerned about. In fact, a report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank based in the United Kingdom, identified significant white supremacist activity in Canada. Its report “identified 6,660 right-wing extremist channels, pages, groups and accounts across seven media platforms … the reach of these channels, pages, groups and accounts was significant, and collectively they reached over 11 million users across these platforms.”

This is hardly surprising. Part of the problem is our lax laws pertaining to online hate, and a lack of any sort of regulatory body to address the issue. It’s no wonder that hateful videos have recently shown up online calling Jews parasites and arguing for them to be removed from the country. And it took a number of years for the courts to take down an anti-Semitic and misogynistic newspaper that was circulated both online and in print.

The North American white supremacist movement became even more emboldened after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. Those who took part in it were mainly members of the so-called alt-right movement and comprised many streams, including white nationalists, Klansmen and neo-Nazis. Marchers chanted racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric, including the now infamous slogan, “The Jews will not replace us” — a conspiracy theory, which suggests that Jews want to take over the world.

We have all been affected by mass shootings connected to racism and intolerance. In Quebec City, six people were brutally murdered and another 19 injured in an attack on a Muslim cultural centre in 2017. The following year, a white supremacist attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 worshippers and wounding six others.

The New Zealand mosque shooter may have been sentenced to life without parole, but the ideology that drove him to this rampage, like all hateful ideologies, survives and continues to infect generation after generation of disenfranchised people.

As the world continues to teeter on the brink of ethnic conflict, as race riots and demonstrations persist in America and Europe, and as class warfare is heightened by loss of employment due to COVID-19, white supremacists will attempt to seize on this instability and grow their base. We need to be far more concerned about this threat, and far bolder in addressing it. The time is now.

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Advancing Human Rights in Canada: We are Almost There! 

There is no place on Earth like Canada – the land of the free. Canada is perfect for anyone seeking a life of relative tranquility, peace, freedom, equality and opportunity. That’s why more people immigrate to Canada – 250,000 per year approximately – than almost anywhere else on the planet. 

Canada is the second-largest land mass on the planet, blessed with plenty of water and magnificent lakes, rivers and mountains. Its people are resilient given the harsh winters, yet caring, compassionate and mostly respectful of one another.
Yet Canada continues to be a work in progress, having progressed and sometimes regressed over the last 150 years since nationhood. We should celebrate but not be satisfied that our work is done.

Our national shame is our treatment of the indigenous community. Canada is a first-world nation, but within Canada there are indigenous people who are worse off than people living in third-world countries. According to Scott Gilmore in MacLean’s, indigenous communities have an “unemployment rate worse than Sudan… and infant mortality rate worse than Russia.”  

I was shocked to learn “there are 89 communities without safe drinking water”; that “the murder rate is worse than Somalia’s and the incarceration rate is the highest in the world”; and that “a child is more likely to be sexually assaulted than to graduate high school.” According to an RCMP report, 1,017 indigenous women and girls have been murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012 – a homicide rate roughly 4.5 times that of all women. How can this possibly be in our beloved Canada?

Our country is great, but it’s taking us a while to reconcile with the past and fix the present. It was not until 2008 that then-prime minister Stephen Harper apologized for the dreadful residential school system that destroyed many lives. In fact, only last week on National Aboriginal Day did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce that the name of the building which houses his office would change from Hector-Louis Langevin – the architect of the residential school system – to the “Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council.” 

While we are strong and free, this was not always the case for everyone. It is hard to believe Indigenous Peoples – the originals on this land – were only given the right to vote federally in 1960. As difficult to comprehend today, the disturbing “Chinese Exclusion Act” was repealed in 1947, granting Chinese-Canadians the right to vote in federal elections. Fifty-one years after Canada’s Confederation in 1867 – the “Women’s Franchise Act” was passed permitting all women to vote in federal elections. But it was not until 1929 that Canadian women were declared to be “persons under law.” 

Some Canadians certainly noticed and tried to beat down the prevalent racism and inequality in this country. Canada was forced into introspection when it signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1947. Our greatest achievement from a human rights perspective was that it was crafted by Canadian John Peters Humphrey – an opportunity for Canada to truly become the land of the free. 

The declaration was signed only a year after most Canadians said they opposed Jewish immigration. Who could forget that Canada would not give refuge to Jewish immigrants trying to flee the Nazis between 1933 and 1945 and how it refused entry to the St. Louis, a ship carrying 907 German-Jewish refugees, in 1939?

The horrible internment of more than 20,000 Japanese in 1942 and the continuous legacy of the “Chinese Head Tax” beginning in 1885 give us pause. Canada’s consciousness began evolving when in 1971 the federal government introduced multiculturalism as a policy of acceptance of ethnic identity. Things progressed from there. In 1977, the Canadian Human Rights Commission was established and in 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was introduced.  

In 1985, people such as Jim Keegstra could no longer promote hate against Jews. Women were required to be fully integrated into regular and reserve Canadian Forces in 1988. In 1990, Sikhs were permitted to wear turbans while in RCMP uniform. In 2005, the Civil Marriage Act was passed, making same-sex marriages legal in Canada, and in 2006 the prime minister apologized in the House of Commons for the Chinese Head Tax. Canada must still endeavour to correct the injustice of its indigenous population, and this began in 2008 with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

For all of our gains, lately it feels like we still have to continue fighting to ensure Canada remains strong and free. Let’s proudly celebrate our birthday – and pray that “God keep our land glorious and free.”

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How the NDP could become a credible voice for Mideast peace 

Canada’s New Democratic Party has a wonderful, storied past of standing up for human rights and creating positive social change. For this reason, it could become a credible voice for peace in the Middle East. Given the party’s grassroots diversity, it is also in a remarkable position to positively advance and influence interfaith dialogue and strengthen efforts to eliminate anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination. On the world stage, standing up for the oppressed is desperately required and it was welcome news to note raised concern about the plight of the Uyghurs at the party’s recent federal policy convention.

In the case of the Middle East however, the situation is complex, and credible evidence-based approaches are required to help mediate between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The party could be productive on this file if a more balanced and nuanced strategy was implemented to validate and encourage all sides to negotiate and resolve their long-standing disputes. Instead, what the general public is seeing is one-sided policy resolutions mainly siding with the Palestinians.

In the “Redefining Canada’s place in the world” section of the party’s convention policy book, a total of four out of 20 proposed resolutions (20 per cent) related to the Middle East question, more than any other issue. Despite the incredible human tragedy involving more than one million Uyghurs imprisoned in labour camps in China, a resolution concerning that situation ranked eighth on the party’s priority list, whereas “Justice and peace in Israel-Palestine” ranked second, and a more perturbing resolution “opposing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism” ranked sixth.

In the case of the Middle East, the situation is complex

Given that one of the most pressing global issues is the plight of the Uyghur people, it is disheartening that their pleas for help are hierarchically lower than opposition to an internationally accepted definition of racism and discrimination against the Jewish people. While imperfect, the IHRA definition has been widely accepted by over 40 nations around the world, including our own government. It is the best tool civil society has to combat the rising scourge of anti-Semitism. It does not criminalize critique of Israel and acknowledges that fair criticism is welcomed.

The party adopted a resolution in favour of “ending all trade and economic co-operation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine” and “suspending the bilateral trade of all arms and related materials with the State of Israel until Palestinian rights are upheld.” Given the fact that most if not all Western nations oppose drastic measures of this nature, preferring to become credible brokers of peace, the NDP’s hardline position against the Jewish state may limit its international influence and diplomacy.

More significantly, with the party’s storied past of standing up for the oppressed, to hear suggestions of anti-Semitism within its ranks is alarming. Writing in the Globe and Mail about the policy convention, John Ibbitson surmised that this approach “will leave a residual concern over whether the party’s criticism of Israel reveals anti-Semitism among at least some of its members.” Similarly, in the Times of Israel, Fred Maroun wrote that the NDP’s “anti-Semitism problem was on full display” at its policy convention. However, many good people within the party are working diligently to curb this perception and shape a productive Mideast policy.

To create good and effective policy requires a sophisticated approach to emerging global issues. The world around us is rapidly changing, particularly given both impending threats to global order and new multilateral approaches. On the latter, political parties can strengthen policy and showcase complexity by recognizing for example, that the Middle East has changed. Noting serious security, political and economic concerns involving the Palestinian Authority, Arab governments in the region are themselves paving a path to peace by recognizing Israel and working with both peoples equitably.

Moreover, credible international players are substantively concerned about increased international disorder that is diminishing human rights in general. Over the past 14 years, Freedom House has reported a marked decline in freedom and democracy on a global scale. Political parties working to address these findings should encourage a strengthening of projects and programs that advance the causes of peace and social justice. The focus, in other words, must shift away from free and democratic nations to such dangerous regimes as Syria, Iran and North Korea, among others. The overly weighted focus on Israel in the NDP handbook coupled with limitations of time and resources, leaves out many pressing international human rights issues that could be addressed.

There is an encouraging, positive world emerging out of the ashes of war and conflict in the Middle East. The Abraham Accords have infused the region with incredible peace and understanding. This week, Israel celebrated its 73rd Independence Day to much fanfare. For the first time in its history, its Arab neighbours passionately congratulated the Jewish State. It’s welcome news given that earlier in the week, Israel also held Remembrance Day events for its 23,928 soldiers and victims of terror who have been killed over its past seven decades.

Peace begets peace, and positive and collaborative energy is always more fulfilling and productive. Many of my readers may call me naïve, but I have always believed in all my work that a more positive and conciliatory approach, when possible, is the better way. That’s why I believe the NDP can become a credible broker for peace.