Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on June 26, 2015

It was a slap in the face to Canadian Jews by anti-Semitic legislators. Or maybe it was a procedural snafu in a ready-to-bolt-for-vacation Parliament.

In any case, the motion to designate November as Jewish Heritage Month in Canada is dead in the water after fellow lawmakers declined to support Liberal MP Irwin Cotler , who floated the idea last week.

The proposal from Cotler a former Justice Minister and attorney general of Canada who is retiring from politics this month seems innocuous enough: That the House recognize the month of November as Jewish heritage month in recognition of the important contributions of Jewish Canadians to the settlement, development and growth of Canada; the cultural diversity of the Canadian Jewish community; the present significance of the Canadian Jewish community to this country; and the importance of creating opportunities for Canadians to learn more about each other in order to foster greater awareness, cohesion and mutual respect.

But with a No from the floor that indicated a lack of unanimous support, the proposal evaporated.

Whats the larger message here, the Forward asked Cotler, especially in a country where every ethnic group seems to earn some kind of heritage goodie from the federal government and where the ruling Conservatives have, under Stephen Harper, made support for Israel a pillar of their political platform?

Im not sure there is one, Cotler said from his home in Montreal. Its not easy to get unanimous consent for a motion. I had the consent of my party [the Liberals] and the NDP, the left-leaning New Democratic Party. But, Cotler added, Conservative party House leader Peter Van Loan hadnt agreed to the proposal, and thats a formality you need to get consent.

The Forward asked Van Loan through his spokesperson why he didnt support Cotlers measure. Between mentioning Harpers recent King David Award, the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and Israels right to defend itself, Van Loans statement said the Canadian government believes that motions to commemorate days and months should go through the proper legislative process.

Cotler added that he was told too many Heritage Month proposals had been brought up for unanimous-consent votes. I was associated with a number of them Islamic, Asian, black, he said. The house leaders reasoning this time had nothing to do with my motion in particular, but that wed had too many similar motions, and we had to move this one forward by way of legislative initiative, otherwise known as a private-members bill. But procedural complications made that option impossible, so Cotler went with what was essentially a Hail-Mary pass.

Whatever the gamesmanship behind it, the proposals defeat signals serious problems to Sue-Ann Levy.

When you asked me about this, I thought, Here we go again, said Levy, the Toronto Sun investigative columnist whos made headlines herself for outspoken pro-Israel and pro-Jewish views. Irwin Cotlers a great champion for Jewish rights. But I believe theres anti-Semitic sentiment among Liberals and other members of leftist parties like the NDP, she told the Forward. Theyd never admit it, but it comes out, especially as anti-Israel rhetoric, which to me is the new anti-Semitism.

Go here to see the original:
Why Did Canada Nix Jewish Heritage Month? - Opinion ...

Category: Jewish Heritage Month
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