TORONTO – “Canada has a long and proud history of fighting racism, discrimination and intolerance in all its forms,” declared Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier, following his announcement that Canada is pulling out of the United Nations Durban II Conference Against Racism, scheduled for 2009.

“It was for this reason, and its promise of concerted global action against racism, that we participated in the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa,” Bernier said.

“Unfortunately, that conference degenerated into open and divisive expressions of intolerance and anti-Semitism that undermined the principles of the United Nations and the very goals the conference sought to achieve.”

“Canadians have long called on the government to behave honourably when advancing Canadian interests on the world stage,” declared Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B’nai Brith Canada, following the announcement from Ottawa last Wednesday. “The government has again answered that call clearly and decisively by rejecting Durban II and refusing to participate in a venue that pays lip service to anti-racism but in fact provides a platform for the promotion of hatred and bigotry.”

B’nai Brith Canada had urged the government to withdraw from Durban II after its anti-Jewish bias became clear and the conference appeared incapable of moving beyond the failures of Durban I.

Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity, said the 2001 conference had turned into “a circus of intolerance.” Regarding the upcoming event, “the process has been hijacked by those who would seek to replay that terrible experience…

“Canada is interested in combating racism, not promoting it. We’ll attend any conference that is opposed to racism and intolerance, not those that actually promote racism and intolerance.”

Iran was named to the organizing committee, which is headed by Libya; both countries advocate for the destruction of the Jewish state, Kenney added.

The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) issued a statement that the reason Israel was attacked was because the international community recognizes its violation of human rights and international law. CAF went on to claim human rights abuses by Canada as well. Khaled Mouammar, its national president, stated:

"We would also like to remind Jason Kenney that he is a minister of the Canadian government, not the racist Israeli government; still, CAF is not surprised with Minister Kenney's position given his outright contempt for the Arab and Muslim communities in Canada and his condoning of Islamophobia. This is the same man who attacked a Muslim organization for lodging a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission against Maclean’s magazine for publishing an inflammatory and bigoted article, and who slandered Canadian NGOs at an OSCE Conference in front of the international community.”

Alykhan Velshi, Kenney’s director of communications, responded to CAF’s charges:

“The Canadian Arab Federation is a Liberal front organization. Its previous president, Omar Alghabra, is a current Liberal MP and its current president, Khaled Mouammar, is a former Liberal political appointee. Stéphane Dion and the Liberal Party of Canada need to denounce this antisemitic press release by a Liberal-connected organization.

“Furthermore, where does the Liberal Party stand on the Durban conference? Bob Rae, its foreign affairs critic, says he supports our government’s decision. But Dominic Leblanc, the justice critic, told CTV last Wednesday (Jan. 16) that he believed Canada ought to stay in Durban. Where does Stéphane Dion stand? Stéphane Dion needs to make clear which side of the Liberal Party he sides with: The Canadian Arab Federation wing, or the wing that supports the decisions of the Conservative Party?”

Frank Dimant, executive vice president of B’nai Brith Canada, confirmed that Dion was not only prepared to back the government on pulling out of Durban II, but was adamant about it.

When asked whether he thinks there’ll be any country present to defend Israel at Durban II, as Canada was the only one to take a principled stand against anti-Semitism the first time around, Velshi said, “Those who think the principled stand is to remain at the negotiating table with those who would display Hitler posters – as many NGOs did in 2001 – are the same people who think it is principled to establish a moral equivalency between terrorism and defenses against terrorism.

“As for 2001, the previous Liberal government did not take a principled stand. It, through its continued presence at Durban, legitimized its [the conference’s] antisemitism.”

Kenney also noted that important preparatory meetings have been called on Jewish high holidays, preventing Israeli officials from participating.

Rabbi Reuven Bulka, co-president, Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), said the decision to withdraw from Durban II “shows the government clearly recognized the early warning signs that the Review Conference was heading down the same dangerous path that derailed the World Conference Against Racism in 2001. Sadly, the original Durban gathering threw away a golden opportunity to chart a course for real progress on combating racism and discrimination worldwide.” CJC Co-President Sylvain Abitbol added that the “decision to withdraw underpins Canada’s commitment to reforming the UN and restoring its key role on the international stage.”

The NDP said that Canada should go to the conference. According to a CTV new report, British Columbia MP Bill Siksay stated: “I think Canada needs to be there even if we bring a different perspective and can say something differently than other people in the world.,” adding that the Conservative government should not abandon its “traditional commitment to multilateralism.”