Tories have Israel’s back, Joe Oliver tells shul audience
TORONTO — Though Canada’s unique friendship with Israel and the former’s economic situation are separate issues, both are topics federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver feels very passionate about, he told a crowd at Adath Israel Congregation.
The final guest in the synagogue’s 2014-15 speaker series, Oliver addressed an audience of about 140 people at an early-morning breakfast session June 7.
FEATURE: Jacques Parizeau’s 1993 CJN interview
Former Quebec premier and longtime Parti Québécois stalwart Jacques Parizeau, who famously blamed ethnic minorities for the "Yes" side's loss in the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty, died June 1 after a long illness.
In 2013, Parizeau acknowledged that in the razor-thin loss on Oct. 30, 1995, for which he blamed “money and the ethnic vote,” he was referring to the combined efforts of the Jewish, Italian and Greek communities on behalf of the "No" side.
Concordia to host international Israel studies conference
MONTREAL — Concordia University, still associated in the public’s mind as a hotbed for anti-Israel expression, will host 300 academics from many parts of the world devoted to the scholarly study of Israel in all its facets.
The 31st annual meeting of Association for Israel Studies (AIS) takes place at Concordia’s downtown campus from June 1 to 3, when these academics will present papers on topics related to the modern state of Israel, or its pre-state years, in disciplines ranging from political science and sociology to literature and the arts.
Over 750 turn out to shmooze with politicians
MONTREAL — More than 750 people, mostly young adults from Montreal and Ottawa, mingled with over 40 politicians from three levels of government and different parties in the chic atmosphere at the seventh annual Action Party, held by the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC).
IAW demeans anti-apartheid struggle, Cotler tells South Africans
Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, the McGill University law professor and former minister of justice, once served as the legal counsel for South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela.
He had a close-up view of the horrors of apartheid and has long believed that Israel was being unfairly tarnished with the false accusation of being an “apartheid state.”
During a recent visit to South Africa, he told MPs, political leaders and members of the Jewish community that the allegation of apartheid levelled at Israel demeans the real struggle for equal rights in South Africa.
Three to vie for Mount Royal Tory nod on April 26
MONTREAL — The winner of the vigorously contested right to be the Conservative candidate in Mount Royal, a federal riding that has been Liberal for 75 years, will be known April 26 when the Tories hold their nomination meeting.
There are three contenders. In order of their entry into the race, they are former Côte St. Luc mayor and Montreal executive committee member Robert Libman, former TVA broadcaster Pascale Déry and lawyer Neil Drabkin.
Parliament unanimously passes Cotler’s Magnitsky motion
Sergei Magnitsky is not that well known in Canada, but in Russia, he’s a household name.
That’s because he was jailed in his homeland on trumped up charges after exposing massive corruption and theft from state enterprises. He died in custody in November 2009 after nearly one year in jail.
Justin Trudeau’s skewed vision of liberty
Another day, another dollar, another political misstep by Justin Trudeau.
It’s reached the point where I can almost set my watch to the Liberal leader either going off script, badly misreading public opinion or putting his foot in his mouth. (As Paul Tuns, The Interim’s editor-in-chief and author of an upcoming book on Trudeau, nicely put it, “I want [to] thank Junior for being both a joy and pain to delve into.”)
In this case, it was Trudeau’s recent speech to the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada that raised many eyebrows.
FEATURE: Cotler recalls (small) role in Israel-Egypt peace
Most people are spectators to history, others are active participants. A select few end up having a cameo role.
Mount Royal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler has been a prominent player on the international scene for decades, defending prisoners of conscience and freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela and Natan Sharansky, among many.
But in one of the 20th century’s most momentous events – the peace talks that led to the treaty between Israel and Egypt – Cotler had a smaller, albeit important, role.
Support should not be defined along partisan lines
Jewish communities across the world recently celebrated the Purim holiday. The story of how political action saved the Jews of Persia, reminds us that it is essential for our community to have a voice in the political process.
In Canada, we recognize the importance of electing Jewish community members at federal, provincial, and municipal levels as well as electing those who understand the issues of importance to us. We must be a full partner of government and democracy, which means having advocates in all political parties.
