Save for a four-year period, Toronto’s York Centre riding was considered a safe Liberal seat. Now, it’s up for grabs.
The current MP, Liberal Ya’ara Saks, is facing a stiff challenge from another Jewish candidate, Joel Etienne, who’s running for the Conservatives.
Saks, a newcomer to politics, won the seat in a byelection last October by just 700 votes—45 per cent of ballots cast versus 42 per cent for her Tory opponent. The byelection was called after Michael Levitt, who recaptured the riding for the Liberals in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, resigned to head the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.
In that byelection, Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, outpolled the Green Party candidate by a full percentage point, 642 votes to 461.
The riding was Conservative from 2011 to 2015, when Mark Adler held it—a reflection of the popularity of former prime minister Stephen Harper in Jewish circles.
Saks’s popularity has dropped a few points, and current predictions show York Centre is up for grabs. The website 338Canada.com, which predicts outcomes based on the latest polls, reports a toss-up in the riding as of this writing, (Sept. 17), with the Liberals at 42 per cent support against 39 per cent for the Conservatives. Given the margin of error, that’s a statistical tie.
York Centre is Canada’s fourth-most Jewish riding, at 19 per cent of the population.
Also running is Kemal Ahmed for the NDP, which received 5.8 per cent of the vote in the byelection nearly a year ago. The party is now polling at 9.6 per cent of the vote.
Ahmed, 27, an engineer and software business owner, issued a statement on Sept. 15 saying he was “deeply disturbed” by antisemitic tweets from his fellow New Democrats.
Sidney Coles, who was running in Toronto-St. Paul’s riding, had tweeted that Israel was to blame for missing COVID vaccines; meanwhile, Dan Osborne, the NDP hopeful in the Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland-Colchester, questioned the existence of Auschwitz in a tweet. Both recently ended their campaigns.
Ahmed said he “unequivocally condemn the comments. There’s no room for antisemitism…. Equality cannot be achieved unless we fight for all voices. Holocaust denial is antisemitic and should never be tolerated. False allegations that Israel, a mostly Jewish state, is stealing vaccines reflect the antisemitic trope that a group of wealthy and powerful Jews are selfishly working against other nationalities. It’s important to see that the two candidates have since stepped down. I will continue to hold my colleagues accountable.”
Toronto-born Saks, 48, was a small business owner in York Centre and a community advocate prior to getting into politics. A dual Israeli-Canadian citizen, she lived in Israel from 1995 to 2006 and worked for a time for the mayor of Jerusalem.
Etienne, a 47-year-old lawyer, has held leadership roles in Zichron Yisroel Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill where he’s a member, and in the Jewish Students’ Network.
He ran for the Canadian Alliance in Eglinton-Lawrence in the federal election in 2000. Etienne finished third against the Liberals’ incumbent at the time, Joseph Volpe.
Also running in York Centre is Nixon Nguyen for the People’s Party of Canada. The Green Party did not field a candidate in the riding.
The CJN sent out identical questionnaires to candidates from the three major parties. We enclose their replies below, editing only for clarity and length.
Ya’ara Saks, Liberal
What issues are you hearing about in the riding?
Housing affordability, child care, support for seniors and fighting climate change are the top issues I’m hearing from voters. We have to deal with the issues we’ve seen arise from the pandemic, the inequalities that have been laid bare, and address them head-on through things like $10-a-day childcare, increasing seniors’ pensions, building more housing and supporting homebuyers, and strengthening our climate change efforts, not weakening them.
How are Jewish voters reacting to your party’s stance on Israel and combating antisemitism?
The Jewish community is diverse in its opinion, and no one has a monopoly on representing Jewish Canadians, but I’ve heard very positive responses to our unshakeable friendship with Israel, especially for our work to grow Canada-Israel ties in trade and innovation. There’s also real concern about antisemitism and support for the government’s work to combat it coming from the national summit on antisemitism in July, the work of Special Envoy Irwin Cotler, and the fact that, unlike the Conservatives, the Liberal platform actually mentions antisemitism and has a plan to combat it.
Do you and/or your party favour moving Canada’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem?
It’s not for any country to dictate another’s capital. Rather, it’s been the Government of Canada’s policy, unbroken under successive Liberal and Conservative governments, including Stephen Harper’s, that the final status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. That being said, I love Jerusalem; I lived there for over a decade, went to school there, my daughters were born there, I worked in its mayor’s office and I worked for an Israeli prime minister in Jerusalem.
Do you and/or your party favour continued funding to the UN agency that oversees Palestinian refugees, UNRWA?
Canadian development assistance must go to where it is intended, which is to provide fundamental support to people in need like food, health care and children’s education. UNRWA has serious issues that need fixing, and neither Israel nor NGOs like UN Watch or the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) advocate for defunding UNRWA. Rather, strict funding conditions and oversight gives us the ability to support humanitarian work and make sure that UNRWA upholds its neutrality. Defunding would result in vulnerable children being left behind. Funding replaced by unscrupulous donors would neglect these issues. Neither is acceptable.
Do you feel that Canada’s support for Israel at the United Nations is appropriate?
Under this government, since 2015, Canada has had the strongest record of supporting Israel at the UN ever. It seems counterintuitive to many, but the numbers don’t lie. Canada has consistently voted against the most one-sided Israel targeting resolutions since 2015, compared to the Conservative government from 2006-2015, supporting those resolutions 30 times. It also goes beyond the UN, where we’ve consistently supported Israel and opposed anti-Israel resolutions at other international bodies, like the World Health Assembly, where Israel was targeted for its COVID response, and we stood up and denounced that unfair attack.
Recently, the federal government held a national summit on antisemitism. What do you feel needs to be done to put its recommendations into action?
We’re experiencing a disturbing increase in antisemitism, which is why the government convened the first-ever national summit on antisemitism this summer, in addition to our previous work adopting the IHRA definition and more than quadrupling funding for the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP). Our platform explicitly recognizes the rise in hate-motivated crimes, particularly antisemitism, and the need to take a strong stand against it. We will put in place a National Action Plan on Combating Hate that will include recommendations from the antisemitism summit and specific actions on combating hate crimes in Canada, including amendments to the Criminal Code, training and tools for public safety agencies and investments to support digital literacy and prevent radicalization to violence.
Is there anything you would like to add?
There are always less public, but no less important, issues that we need to address for the Jewish community. Over the past six months, I’ve been working with Holocaust survivors and Jewish service agencies and UJA to make sure that survivors are properly supported, as well as on supporting kosher food banks to support vulnerable members of our community with religiously appropriate food. Making sure our seniors can live in comfort and dignity says a lot about our society, and it’s that kind of local, essential work that I’m just as committed to.
Joel Etienne, Conservative
What issues are you hearing about in the riding?
The top issue on everyone’s mind is electing a government that has a plan. Canada’s Recovery Plan is a very detailed plan that will create a million new jobs, jump start the economy, tackle high prices (including housing) and fight Liberal inflation.
How are Jewish voters reacting to your party’s stance on Israel and combating antisemitism?
Everyone is aware and supportive of our party’s historical stance on Israel. They know that Conservatives are the only party that is unequivocal in its support for Israel. But we must remember that Israel is just one issue in this election; voters also appreciate our comprehensive plan, Canada’s Recovery Plan, to get Canada back on track after this pandemic.
Do you and/or your party favour moving Canada’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem?
A Conservative government will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move Canada’s embassy to the heart of Jerusalem.
Do you and/or your party favour continued funding to the UN agency that oversees Palestinian refugees, UNRWA?
Canada’s Conservatives will align international development with Canadian peace and security priorities. We will defund programs aligned against Canadian values (including those delivered by UNRWA, unless it is significantly reformed) and replace them with new education initiatives that uphold universal human dignity, pluralism and peaceful coexistence.
Do you feel that Canada’s support for Israel at the United Nations is appropriate?
Canada’s Conservatives have always been, and will continue to be, an ally and friend of Israel. We will always defend Israel’s right to exist, its right to defend itself and to live in peace and security.
Canada’s Conservatives will return Canada to its longstanding policy of not singling out Israel for criticism at the United Nations; combat the delegitimization of Israel; oppose the International Criminal Court’s politicization and intrusion into bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; and promote and support regional initiatives that foster peace between Israel and its neighbours, including the Abraham Accords. We will also support full implementation of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement.
Recently, the federal government held a national summit on antisemitism. What do you feel needs to be done to put its recommendations into action?
Canada’s Conservatives stand with the Jewish community in the face of disgusting acts of antisemitism and hate that are on the rise in this country. Antisemitism has no place in Canada and we must all stand against it.
As documented by numerous organizations, antisemitism takes many forms. Some of them are obvious, like the vandalizing of a synagogue or violent acts against Jewish youth. But more and more, we’re seeing the increase in antisemitism dressed up as anti-Zionism, especially on university campuses, with calls for boycotts, divestments and sanctions.
Canada’s Conservatives have a detailed plan to combat online hate speech and antisemitism. We will always oppose the dissemination of hate speech and speech that incites violence. We believe this can best be done through the Criminal Code and Canada’s criminal justice system, including by creating a stronger legal requirement for social media platforms to remove illegal hate-motivated content.
To better protect synagogues, the previous Conservative government launched the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) to provide assistance to communities that have a history of being victimized by hate-motivated crime. An Erin O’Toole government will double funding to the program, simplify the application process to expand eligibility and allow funding to be used for a broader list of expenses, such as paying security guards and training volunteers.
Kemal Ahmed, NDP
What issues are you hearing about in the riding?
Voters are asking for better internet, a better housing strategy and lower deficits. For internet, the NDP plans to create a government-run internet option, expand coverage, introduce a bill of rights and a price cap. For housing, we will encourage co-ops, build 500,000 affordable housing units and implement a foreign buyers’ tax and vacancy tax. We have the lowest deficit plan.
How are Jewish voters reacting to your party’s stance on Israel and combating antisemitism?
Israel is a hot topic at the door, from our members and our executive. We want to dispatch anti-hate units online and within our police forces.
Do you and/or your party favour moving Canada’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem?
No.
Do you and/or your party favour continued funding to the UN agency that oversees Palestinian refugees, UNRWA?
UNRWA was established for relief of displaced Palestinians. However, no organization should implicate itself in the spreading of misinformation. All organizations should be held accountable on anything done that contravenes their mandate. We also recognize that they’ve provided essential services for over five million Palestinian refugees. These refugees remain stateless to this date. The solution is not to defund international organizations that have done good work.
Do you feel that Canada’s support for Israel at the United Nations is appropriate?
Yes, Israel has the right to be a safe, secure country.
Recently, the federal government held a national summit on antisemitism. What do you feel needs to be done to put its recommendations into action?
The conference recommendations need to be accessible, more easily available and media-ready, because they otherwise make this conference very performative. I called Heritage Canada and even they were not able to find them. The recommendations are of utmost importance to me and this community. I am skeptical and believe that actions speak louder than words. As someone who worked on a program with the McMaster Hillel, Muslim Student Association and Veggie Club to bring a 24/7 kosher, halal and vegan options to McMaster University in 2015, I believe students should be exempt from insensitive, mandatory meal plans if the meal plans cannot accommodate dietary restrictions. This would be in addition to the other platform promises for anti-hate divisions.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Downsview Airport has been mishandled and lacks transparency. The federal government helped build a $150-million aerospace campus and hangar for Centennial College in January 2019, while in the process of reviewing the sale of the adjacent Bombardier airport, which was confirmed in March 2019. They knowingly funded a hangar while reviewing sale of the runway to housing developers. I was the only candidate who attended the referendum. Bombardier and de Havilland workers were also left in the dark about jobs. Bombardier workers struck because of the lack of transparency until they agreed to move to Pearson. Pearson offered a second spot to de Havilland with no response, so I’ve struck alongside them three times. As an engineer, I know all stakeholders should be consulted independently and transparently. That’s my promise.