NDP members want leader to boldly oppose Israel’s genocide

Heather McPherson’s ‘vocally tepid’ opposition to a live streamed holocaust encapsulates what’s wrong with some of the NDP’s leading figures.

As foreign affairs critic during the holocaust in Gaza McPherson has repeatedly challenged the Liberals for backing genocide. She’s called for an arms embargo, to sanction far right ministers and recognize Palestine. McPherson has also been attacked for wearing a watermelon pin in parliament.

Yet McPherson doesn’t appear to have attended a single one of the thousands of demonstrations across the country against Israel’s slaughter. And she’s avoided sensitive but important questions.

In what ought to be low hanging fruit, but which can be framed as ‘targeting Canadian Jews’ by supporters of Israel, McPherson has failed to mention the many ways Canadian law isn’t being applied towards Israel. A slew of institutions “induce” young Jews to join the Israeli military in violation of Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act. Still, McPherson has failed to mention the subject.

Many Canadians have fought in Gaza and Israeli soldiers have come here. Nonetheless, McPherson doesn’t appear to have mentioned Canada’s War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Act at any point, which is particularly dubious since the justice minister needs to okay a prosecution under the act.

Dozens of registered Canadian charities also support the Israeli military, racist organizations and West Bank settlements in contravention of Canada Revenue Agency rules. Yet McPherson doesn’t seem to have mentioned the issue or the nearly half a billion dollars a year in improperly government subsidized Canadian donations to Israel.

McPherson hasn’t said anything about another of Canada’s most important contributions to Palestinian dispossession. Over 10 percent of Canada’s terrorism list is made up of organizations headquartered in a long-occupied land representing one-tenth of one percent of the world’s population. Representing much of Palestinian political life, eight of the oppressed nation’s organizations are listed.

In an egregious attack against those opposing genocide and civil liberties, the government listed the Vancouver based grassroots solidarity group Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in October. Crickets from the purported defender of the Palestinian cause.

McPherson has also not said a word about Canada’s two-decade old initiative to train and assist Palestinian Authority security forces to act as the subcontractor of Israel’s occupation. Through Operation Proteus about 20 Canadian troops and police in the West Bank are part of a mission led by the Office of the United States Security Coordinator.

Alongside her silence on important contributions to Palestinian dispossession, McPherson openly supports Canada’s most prominent anti-Palestinian. Three weeks ago McPherson participated in a press conference led by Irwin Cotler and has collaborated with his Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights on multiple occasions. In 2022 McPherson wrote, “this afternoon, Professor Irwin Cotler and I spoke about how we can work together to protect humans rights in Canada and around the world. I am grateful to him for sharing his wisdom with me.” I couldn’t find any evidence of McPherson ever criticizing Cotler’s depraved genocidal Jewish supremacy.

McPherson has also openly cowered to the apartheid lobby.

After hosting a December 2022 event with Canadians United Against Hate founder Fareed Khan, McPherson threw the long-time anti-racist under the bus when Documenting Antisemitism demanded it. In response to their dubious criticism she released a statement noting, “I unequivocally denounce antisemitism. The comments that were brought to light are completely unacceptable and my team and I should have reviewed them before accepting to participate in this press conference. I am disgusted by the comments that we have seen.”

But Documenting Antisemitism smeared Khan by blaming him for the comments of someone else in a Facebook exchange.

The NDP’s position on the Gaza holocaust should be a central issue in the leadership race. It’s at the heart of my campaign to lead the party. Activists have already expressed hope that McPherson and I will debate the issues. While I look forward to an exchange of ideas, perhaps McPherson would prefer if the party brass block me from running to avoid the debate.

While the vast majority of NDP members want the party to boldly challenge Canadian complicity in a live streamed holocaust, McPherson’s record suggests that is not something she’s interested in championing.

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