THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE  THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE Kenney, Volpe condemn Israeli Apartheid Week
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Kenney, Volpe condemn Israeli Apartheid Week |
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Written by --
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 |
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OTTAWA – More federal politicians are coming out against Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) on university campuses across the country.
In Parliament last week Cabinet Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal MP?Joe Volpe both came out swinging against IAW.
Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, said that Canadians are free to express different views about the policies of foreign government but Israeli Apartheid Week is not about that.
“It is about a systematic effort to delegitimize the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, a country born out of the Holocaust.
“We find very troubling this resurgence of the old slander that Zionism is racism. That is the notion that lies at the heart of Israeli Apartheid Week.
“Jewish students at campuses across the country are subsequently feeling increasingly vulnerable. We condemn these efforts to single out and attack the Jewish people and their homeland in this terrible way.”
Volpe told Parliament that events such as IAW “will inevitably sow discord, promote negative stereotyping and fuel hatred.
“Under the umbrella of free speech, some groups are using university campuses, like York, to undermine the fabric of civil discourse with events they have entitled Israeli Apartheid Week,” he said.
“One might well ask what motivates groups like the Canadian Arab Federation, CUPE Ontario and CUPW in their endorsement and organization of Israeli Apartheid Week.
“The safety and security of Jewish students and their instructors will be unnecessarily placed in danger by these demonstrations. The cause of peace in the Middle East will not be advanced by eroding the principles of freedom in Canadian universities.
“I invite the House to join me in condemning these Israeli Apartheid Week activities and in encouraging university administrations to take steps to stop antisemitism and the dissemination of hatred.”
Conservative MP Tim Uppal planned to introduce a motion that would condemn “any action in Canada as well as internationally that would equate the state of Israel with the rejected and racist policy of apartheid.”
Manitoba Progressive Conservative MLA Heather Stefanson says she unequivocally opposes Israeli Apartheid Week and plans to introduce a Private Members’ Resolution that would condemn the nationwide campus event in Manitoba once the House resumes later this month.
Thornhill MPP Peter Shurman was the first politician to introduce a resolution to condemn IAW. The Ontario Legislature passed it unanimously.
In an IAW-related situation, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has banned IAW from all board properties, after York Centre trustee James Pasternak voiced his condemnation, according to Inside Toronto.
Pasternak drafted a motion expressing his opposition to the event, which he was expected to bring to the board. After the provincial legislature adopted a resolution to condemn the annual event, TDSB Director of Education Chris Spence posted a statement at www.tdsb.on.ca effectively banning participation by students or staff on TDSB property.
B’nai Brith Canada said it commended the Toronto District Board of Education for its statement regarding Israeli Apartheid Week events on board property.
“We have previously brought to your attention our concerns that individuals within the system were seeking to introduce such activities into Toronto’s schools,” B’nai Brith said in a statement. “Your statement makes it clear that any such activities will not be tolerated since they are contrary to the educational goals of the board. We welcome your reaffirmation of the board’s commitment to teaching tolerance and understanding, and its refusal to let its premises be politicized. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 March 2010 )
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