Never Let The Truth Stand In The Way Of A Good Story
From the Monday, February 23rd Federal Hansard
Mr. Rick Dykstra (St. Catharines, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Ontario’s largest public sector union, CUPE, is targeting academics simply because of their nationality and religion. This behaviour is unacceptable to Canadians and it is unacceptable to this government.
Last week our immigration minister represented the Government of Canada in London at the conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Combating Anti-Semitism, where he explained our government’s concern. This new anti-Semitism seeks to deny the right of the Jewish people to secure existence in their homeland, the state of Israel.
Surely this should be an issue that all sides of the House can agree on, but unfortunately that is not the case. Even here there are those who want taxpayers to fund organizations that call Israel a racist state and members of the Bloc who circulate videos from banned terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Parliamentarians must stand up and condemn those who deny the Jewish people their right to a homeland.
The thing is though, that’s not what the motion said
The motion on the Middle East affirms the right to education for Palestinians; calls for educational events on campuses; encourages research into military connections between Ontario and Israeli universities; and, where these connections exist, calls for a lobby of Ontario universities to refuse to conduct research that benefits the Israeli military. The resolution does not call for a boycott of individual Israeli academics or all Israeli academic institutions.
(emphasis mine)
That’s somewhat different from what the good Mr. Dykstra (St. Catharines, CPC) said isn’t it?
Given that I am pretty sure that the Conservative Party of Canada knows fully well what the text of the resolution is I’m calling this what it is – another case of willful and planned disinformation from our government.
Why is our government criticizing Canadians for speaking up on behalf of the human rights of an oppressed people?
I think it is a good thing for Canadians to speak up as private citizens on behalf of the human rights of oppressed people.
I don’t think that it should be part of the job description for public employees
and I don’t think it is right for the leaders of public service unions in particular to build soapboxes from the involuntary contributions of their captive membership.
“This new anti-Semitism seeks to deny the right of the Jewish people to secure existence in their homeland, the state of Israel.”
seems that dykstra neglected to mention that israel is also busy securing their homeland in the neighbours’ yard as well.
And it isn’t, anyway. How does a country make its existence more secure by bombing its own occupied territory? I mean, really, the Israelis get far too much credit from the West as military masterminds as opposed to brutish thugs no better’n Hamas.
@Pretty Shaved Ape – Once again we see the authoritarian right redefining “anti-Semitism” to suit their own partisan political agenda, and each time they, and their advocates, disciples, and assorted adherents, do so they water it down just a little bit more.
Does anyone remember when “anti-Semitism” was defined as prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a group usually characterized by a combination of religious, racial, cultural and ethnic biases — and not some sort of luke warm catch-all generic slur that has come to mean so many different things that it really means little at all anymore.
It is only somewhat less disturbing that Members of Parliament, those fine and upstanding statesmen & stateswomen supposedly tasked with looking after our best interests, are allowed to stand up in the House of Commons and knowingly spread disinformation.
That’s a Conservative crock, Doug Newton. Of course people in public sector organizations, especially unions, should speak up on behalf of oppressed people elsewhere in the world. I’d argue it’s their particular responsibility, in fact. The shame is that our government isn’t doing it, too. There is nothing not to be gained in speaking up against injustice. And tough nuts to your involuntary union dues argument, too. What a canard that one is.
Whooee! I always like that “canard” put down. Quite fitting in this instance, fer sure.
Israel has gone to great pains to identify itself as “The Jewish State.” They invite and encourage the equivalency of the State of Israel to Judaism. This makes it easy to portray any and every criticism of anything Israel does as anti-Semitism. It’s transparent, disingenuous and not conducive to honest dialogue and peaceful negotiation.
And this here Dykstra seems to have no respect for the intelligence of his constituents or Canadians, in general. Lyin’ numbnuts!
JB
The “captive membership” of CUPE voted on the resolution. Nice union bashing going on there Doug Newton.
It’s the hypocrisy that gets me. How loud was the outcry against academic/entertainment/sports boycotts and economic sanctions of Apartheid South Africa?
Anyway, the following is a link to a UK article that actually looks at the pros and cons of academic boycotts without resorting to feeble accusations of anti-Semitism:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=170569§ioncode=26
Why did the resolution only encourage research into military connections between Ontario and Israeli universities?
Sooey
I’m not a Conservative, I’m a tax payer and I’d argue that public sector employees have no business expressing their opinions on anything not related to the job they are paid to do.
By all means speak out on issues as a private citizen but otherwise just focus on doing what your paid to do.
Beijing York
Yes I am union bashing in a way. Not because I don’t believe in the right to organize. I support our employee association where I work and in my capacity as General Manager I have encouraged them to organize and register under the labour act and we have negotiated a collective agreement . I think it is important particularly from a health and safety perspective.
My gripe is with big unions which I have come to distrust as much as I do big corporations.
As for Mr.Dykstra, he seems to be behind the times and is responding to Sid Ryans initial pronouncement on the issue.