Canadian Jews not responsible for Israel’s actions, MPs reaffirm

As police link a rise in antisemitic attacks to Israel’s war with Hamas, MPs this week sought to send a message: Canadian Jews cannot be held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

It was a quiet moment of agreement that nearly went unnoticed and came after months of tension among MPs over the Liberal government’s policy response to the war.

The motion “that the House unequivocally condemn antisemitism, and in particular reject the idea that Jewish Canadians are responsible for the actions of the State of Israel” came from Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and passed unanimously.

She told the Star the inspiration flowed from a newspaper editorial demanding parliamentarians do more to speak out against hatred directed at Jews, and she decided to take up that call.

Only a handful of MPs were actually in the House of Commons chamber by the time May’s turn came to rise well after question period Thursday to introduce her motion. What she used was a different procedural tool than the recent NDP-led motion on Canada’s Middle East policy, which led to an emotional and fierce debate and subsequent vote that nearly cost the Liberals one of their MPs.

May used a unanimous consent motion. They aren’t explicitly voted on by individual MPs, nor do they require formal advance notice. Instead, those who wish to bring them are expected to go behind the scenes to ensure all-party support before they rise in the House with the issue.

May said she decided to keep the

The motion ‘that the House unequivocally condemn antisemitism’ came from Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and passed unanimously

text straightforward as she tried to rally the other parties to her side over the past two weeks. While the other parties knew she wanted to bring it forward, that it came Thursday appeared to catch many off guard.

That was a quirk of parliamentary timing — late on a Thursday after question period, when MPs are already at committees or on their way back to their ridings — and is not a reflection of a lack of support, May said. “If this makes a difference to even one Jewish child heading off to school, then it was worth it,” she said.

To Winnipeg Liberal MP Ben Carr, whose riding is home to the largest Jewish population in Western Canada, it is worth it.

Both he and May said it is also important to state Canadian Palestinians aren’t accountable for the actions of Hamas, too.