Canadian law protecting hospitals doesn’t apply when Jews are targeted

Flag planted on Mount Sinai Hospital, from MP Melissa Lantsman, X Account

During the height of the Covid pandemic, some Canadians protested against closures and restrictions placed upon them by all levels of government. Many of these protests took place in front of hospitals, clinics or other medical facilities. Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff complained they were being threatened, intimidated or harassed when going in and out of their places of employment. Hospital workers were advised not to wear scrubs when arriving at or leaving work. Some patients also felt intimidated or harassed when seeking to enter these facilities for needed treatment.

As lawmakers are wont to do, rather than enforce existing laws the federal government decided to enact another one. Bill C-3 was introduced to amend certain sections of the Labour Act and the Criminal Code. The Bill became law on Dec. 17, 2021, with all sections to become fully implemented by Dec. 1, 2022.

The Labour Code amendments deal with medical leave and leave in the case of the deaths of children while the Criminal Code amendments criminalize protests in front of hospitals and other health facilities. A new section makes conduct a crime that intends to provoke a state of fear in medical professionals and those work assisting them. The bill also makes it an offense to engage in such conduct that provokes a state of fear in those seeking medical treatment. Bill C-3 also prohibits obstructing or interfering with another person’s access to a place where health services are provided. An exception is made for those persons who are there only for the purpose of obtaining or communicating information.

The new offenses provide for maximum punishments of ten years in jail upon indictment and two years less a day if prosecutors proceed by way of summary conviction. While no one convicted of one of these new offenses is likely to get sentenced to anywhere close to ten years, maximum penalties set out how serious the government thinks particular crimes are. A maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment is the second highest maximum penalty set out in the Criminal Code, second only to life imprisonment. Parliament obviously believes these crimes against medical facilities are serious offences.

On Feb. 12, shortly after Israel announced the IDF was going into Rafah, a large demonstration by the usual suspects was held outside the Israeli Consulate in Toronto. The mob then decided they would march to the American Consulate, a short distance away for another protest. The shortest way to get there is to go down University Avenue, a main thoroughfare in downtown Toronto. The northern portion of University Avenue is known as “hospital row,” for the number of large hospitals located there. But the pro-Hamas mob never quite made it to the US Consulate. They stopped in front of Mount Sinai Hospital.

Mount Sinai was built in the early 20th century. Founded by Jews its purpose was to give Jewish doctors a place where they could practise their profession and where Jewish patients would feel welcome. While the facility now reflects Canada’s multiculturalism its logo contains a Star of David. It is generally thought of as a Jewish hospital.

After stopping, the marchers called for an intifada and yelled and screamed while waving Palestinian flags. One person, known as the “Palestinian Spiderman” or the “Spiderman of Palestine,” climbed up the front of the hospital to plant a large flag on the front of the institution.

This act was so egregious it elicited responses from politicians who usually remain silent when vile acts of anti-Semitism have taken place post Oct.7. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the action “reprehensible” and condemned “this act of anti-Semitism.” Mayor Olivia Chow condemned it as well, referring to the act as “anti-Semitic.” And Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the actions but his only concern was the breach of the new laws designed to protect hospitals. The allegedly conservative premier made no absolutely no reference to Jews or anti-Semitism in his statement.

The pro-Palestinian/Hamas crowd and their fans denied what happened was in any way anti-Semitic. No no no no! Why they were just innocently walking by Mount Sinai hospital on the way to the American Consulate when, presumably, they stopped in front of Mount Sinai, screamed for an intifada and planted a Palestinian flag on the front of the building. But this didn’t happen in front of Toronto General Hospital. This didn’t happen in front of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This didn’t happen in front of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. This didn’t happen in front of the Hospital for Sick Children. Anyone going south down University Avenue to reach the US Consulate from the Israeli Consulate had to pass all these health facilities. It was only the hospital built by Jews, that has the Star of David in its logo and that is perceived to be Jewish that was targeted.

Even Amira Elghawaby, Justin Trudeau’s special representative to combat Islamophobia denied what happened was anti-Semitic. After acknowledging the necessity of hospitals being safe, Elghawaby added, “Yet also troubling and wrong is the rush to label protesters anti-Semitic and/or terrorist sympathizers.” Yeah right. She seemingly didn’t seem to notice that her boss, Trudeau, rushed to label this anti-Semitic when he usually remains mute on these types of actions. No politicians or officials would dare say things like she did if any other minority group had been targeted.

What happened in front of Mount Sinai is exactly what Bill C-3 was passed to penalize. So what did the Toronto police do? Nothing. It has been two weeks and nothing has happened. No arrests, no further comments. This was not this Spiderman’s first act of climbing structures to plant Palestinian flags to let Canadians know who is really in charge of the streets. Any police department with a top brass that cared would know who he is and make an arrest. But nothing. The Toronto Police Service is either totally incompetent or are not really interested in enforcing laws when Jews are the victims. Oh they will arrest the occasional lone actor but allow the mobs to do what they want. They have been standing around and watching these events unfold since Oct.7.

But that’s not to say the police are lazy and never do anything. Why when this was happening, a 49-year-old man called police, expressed anger about what was going on and threatened to go to the hospital and kill protestors. He was arrested a short time later and charged with uttering threats to cause death.

This is post Oct.7 Toronto. Pro-Palestinian/Hamas supporters are free to call for the death of Jews and to violate laws such as Bill C-3, designed to protect medical facilities and nothing happens. But threaten those who call for the death of Jews and you will be promptly charged.

Jews really have become second class citizens in what was once known as “Toronto the Good.”