I try to avoid being partisan in my posts (in my life I had voted for both Liberal and Conservative candidates) but the contrast in the style of how our political leaders present themselves to the electorate on the current hot issues that trouble the Canadian Jews has been rendered in particularly stark contrast this week.
The previous week, an NDP/Liberal motion passed in Parliament that many in Canada and abroad describe as rewarding Hamas for its attack on Israel. All Conservatives and three Liberals voted against. A dissenting Liberal MP for Mount Royal Anthony Housefather said the motion created “a false equivalency between the state of Israel and the terrorist organization of Hamas.”
Contacting the Jewish community in the aftermath was in order. Taking a cynical point of view, Liberals needed to perform damage control and Conservatives wanted to press the electoral opportunity that this represented, especially since in December, 2023, our Liberal government had already received a public expression of gratitude from Hamas themselves, which did not look that great given that Hamas is a terrorist organization:
On Dec. 20, Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas leader, posted a short video [in which he] thanked Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand, for their help in isolating the Israeli government.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/hamas-thanks-canada-for-support-against-fascist-israeli-government/
But let us focus on the style if not the substance (which we may disagree on) of the responses to the “Jewish issues” of the day, that could be summarized as “does Canada stand with Israel?” and “are Jews safe in Canada?”
On March 27, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Liberal, for readers outside of Canada) met behind close doors with a handful of Rabbis arranged by the Liberal MP for Vancouver-Granville (where most Jewish facilities are in Vancouver). The meeting was off-the-record, so no read-out followed, but the PM office posted on X a photo of Trudeau shaking hands with a Rabbi, and that’s how we first learned about the meeting. [Full story]
On March 26, 2024, the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a “barn-burner of a pro-Israel” speech in front of a packed Beth Israel Beth Aaron synagogue, with 1300 people in attendance, in which he demonstrated both a commendable mastery of the Jewish traditions and a sense of humor. You can see it for yourself, because it was recorded and shared widely.
I know, one is a sitting government, the other is the opposition in attack mode, and can promise things he may not deliver when he becomes the government, but still – the contrast could not be more stark.
Brock Coalition Against Antisemitism 
Yes he gave a good performance in Montreal, one that impressed one of our members. He certainly can perform. Judging by the utter dishonesty of his “axe the tax” gimmick, we can see that performance bears a tenuous relation to realty In any case I strongly suggest that we stick to our purpose, identifying and resisting anti- Semitism at Brock University. Join the Polievre fan club on your own time on your own website.
Am yisrael chai.
Stan Sadava Professor Emeritus, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON.
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[image: Life is Short Make Sure You Spend As Much Time As Possible on the Internet Arguing with Strangers About Politics]
Seriously, though: I invite you to contribute an opinion piece on the relationship between Brock and the greater Canadian political landscape. We need multiple opinions and positions articulated. When people leave all discussions about our society to the “professional” politicians, Putin is the result.
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