Israel right to single out Canada for antisemitism

The National Post newspaper described it as “a rare move.” On Oct. 14 of this year the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism issued a report on antisemitism in Canada. Despite the increase in Jew-hate throughout the West since Oct. 7, 2023, Canada has been chosen as the basis of a report by the Israeli government. And most Canadians paying attention would agree Israel was right to single out their country.

Canada has extensive hate legislation resulting in statistics being carefully collected. In the one year period following the horrific terrorists acts of October 2023, antisemitic incidents in the country increased 670% over the preceding 12 months. These acts included shooting at or setting fire to Jewish institutions like schools and synagogues as well as more minor acts of vandalism. Also there have been numerous incidences of harassing, threatening or assaulting people solely because they are or perceived to be Jews.

In many of these less serious incidents, police in major cities are present watching but do nothing to prevent these antisemitic acts or hold the perpetrators accountable. Of the recent hate crimes, 70% were directed at Jews. People of the Jewish faith only comprise 1.4% of Canada’s population.

One reason for the explosion of antisemitism in Canada can be attributed to politicians who are in positions of power. These include, but are not limited to, mayors, provincial premiers and the prime minister and his cabinet. By their comments or inaction to the plight of the country’s Jews, they actively or passively encourage the increasing Jew-hate. One of the latest examples, perhaps the most egregious, is that of Carolyn Parrish.

Parrish is the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada’s 7th largest city with a population of about 800,000. It is located adjacent to Toronto’s western boundary and is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

A couple of weeks ago a poster appeared online. A named group said they planned to honour Yahya Sinwar on Nov. 26, the 40th day after the Hamas leader was eliminated by Israel. It was announced the event would be held on city of Mississauga property. If the idea of honouring Sinwar wasn’t bad enough, the organizers put poppies on the photo and used the phrase “Lest We Forget”, equating the late terrorist leader to those Canadians who served and who often gave up their lives serving in the country’s armed forces. Absolutely disgusting.

When Parrish was first confronted with this she defended honoring Sinwar on freedom of speech grounds. Encouraging Jew-haters to mock Canadian veterans on city property was okay with her. But Parrish, who has an offensive history from her days as a Liberal MP in the early 2000s. didn’t stop there. The Mississauga mayor compared Sinwar to Nelson Mandela. She said:

I just want to point out, and I’m not being facetious, Nelson Mandela was declared a terrorist by the United States of American until the year 2008. Your terrorist and somebody else’s terrorist may be two different things.

Now of course Sinwar’s fans hardly mention him without reference to Mandela.

Parrish also claimed neither the event nor the group organizing it existed. A few days later, the non-existent group cancelled the non-existent tribute to Sinwar. The Mississauga mayor has also posted in the past she doesn’t talk to Zionists which we all know means Jews, bringing Jew-hate among political leaders to a new high.

And then there is Olivia Chow, Toronto’s mayor. Chow’s favorite thing to do in office is to attend events of various ethnic, cultural and different sexual group events. She loves to dress up in native costumes regardless of how members of the group in question are clothed. She smiles for the cameras while praising the diversity of the city’s residents. She loves all groups except the Jews and she has made it quite clear she has no use for her Jewish constituents.

Every year a March for Israel is held in the city. Always well attended but the first march after Oct. 7, drew in excess of 50,000 Jews and their supporters. Chow was a no-show. She was also absent from a ceremony to raise the flag of Israel. She said raising the flag and presumably any Jewish event was “divisive.” No other group would be treated that way.

More importantly, a commemoration of the Oct. 7 slaughter was held in Toronto on the one year anniversary as it was in locations around the world. Chow again was not present.

The mayor, or more likely someone in her office realized the importance of the event so the mayor lied to justify her absence. First she said she never received notice of the memorial. It didn’t seem to matter there was a lot of publicity about the one year anniversary approaching and events being held to mark it. And when emails inviting the mayor to attend surfaced, she said her staff never showed them to her.

James Pasternak, a Jewish councillor, said he asked the mayor a few days before the memorial if she was going and she replied she didn’t know. Chow didn’t contest his comment. It became apparent the “I didn’t know about it” line wasn’t working so the mayor changed her tactics. She said she was at another event and didn’t have time to get there (she did). Chow then said she was too tired to go.

To put it all together Mayor Chow said she didn’t have time and was too tired to go to a Jewish event she knew nothing about.

Parrish and Chow are just two examples of Canadian politicians in the position of leadership who have contempt not only for Israel but for their Jewish constituents. There is no doubt the political leadership in Canada treats Jews as second class citizens.

The actions of Parrish and Chow actively and passively encourage the raging antisemitism Israel rightfully singled out in their report.