Evidence of meeting #104 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9 a.m.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
I agree a hundred per cent.
Mr. Eshayek, do you agree with my assessment?
9 a.m.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Thank you.
Ms. Pressmann.
9 a.m.
Founder, Canadian Union of Jewish Students
I would just like to say that the average Canadians who are on our campuses who are spewing hatred against Jews aren't necessarily supportive of the actions that the governments have to take, because they think they're not enough. The persons who are calling for an intifada until revolution still think our government is too pro-Israel.
While we're talking about particular policy, I also want to keep in mind that's really the reality on our campuses, and I think we need to work towards talking about how we can actually deal with anti-Semitism on our campus. Regarding EDI, I think what we should do is try to incorporate more Jews into EDI because I think we deserve to be in those spaces, rather than get rid of them as a whole.
9 a.m.
Conservative
Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Thank you.
If I have one second left, Ms. Nashen, do you agree?
9 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Mr. Morantz, the time is up.
I will now go to Mr. Housefather, please, for six minutes.
9 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you very much for being here. I asked for this study to happen. I moved this motion for this study because I believe the vast majority of Canadians are good and care very much about our Jewish communities and they don't understand what's happening on campus.
I was very much hoping for a non-partisan study that would allow the voices of Jewish students to come forward. That was what these meetings were meant to do and that's what I intend to use my time and my questions to ask for. I want to hear about your experiences.
Ms. Nashen, when you see a sign at your campus at the encampment, which McGill has declared on multiple occasions is in violation of McGill's code of conduct, that reads, “No Zionists allowed”, do you feel welcome at McGill?
9 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
My grandfather was born in a refugee camp outside of Yemen in the British protectorate of Aden because Jews were being persecuted, and my grandmother was born in Morocco when Jews were being persecuted, and Israel was the only country that took them in. I would not be alive today if it were not for the State of Israel. When I see a sign on my campus saying “No Zionists allowed”, that means no Jews allowed. That is terrifying.
9 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Ms. Pressman, when you hear the words “from the river to the sea” that are being chanted on campus, what does that mean to you?
9 a.m.
Founder, Canadian Union of Jewish Students
To me, it means the annihilation of the State of Israel and a complete denial of historical fact about Jews belonging to the State of Israel. For me, a lot of people who are saying it are the same people who often engage in other violent chants, such as “intifada until revolution”. That's how it feels to me.
Israel has always been my homeland, and it's the homeland of my family. It's the place that my grandfather faced intimidation for by the KGB because he was a proud Zionist and because he wanted to move to Israel.
Those sayings deny what Israel has done for my family and what Israel has done for other Jews, including those in this room.
9 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Ms. Cook, when you hear “Globalize the intifada. There is only one solution; intifada, revolution”, what does it mean to you when you walk onto the University of Alberta campus?
9 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
For the first time in my life, it makes me question if I belong in this country.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Mr. Eshayek, when you walk by the McGill illegal encampment and you get told to go back to Iraq, or when other people are told to go back to Poland, what does that make you feel that people are saying?
9:05 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I want to say about the encampment at McGill that I went there once or twice to see what was going on and I stood far away. Like you said, a bunch of people came to me, a bunch of jihadists came to me, and said, “Go back to Europe.” I said, “But my family is from Iraq.” They said, “So go back to Iraq.” Unfortunately, I can't go back to Iraq and also—
May 9th, 2024 / 9:05 a.m.
Liberal
9:05 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
From Iraq and from almost every Arab country.
Also, when I came home, I found out that they made a video against me, a three-minute video just about me.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
I just want to know how you felt. Does it make you feel excluded?
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you.
Ms. Nashen, when you were at McGill and you see McGill professors going to the illegal encampment and supporting the people doing the encampment, how does that make you feel if you have to go to a class being taught by that professor?
9:05 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I took public international law last semester, and my professor signed a letter that said, “We reject the notion that it is antisemitic...to contextualize the October 7th, 2023 attack”.
On October 7, my aunt and uncle hid in their home in Kfar Aza for 30 hours as Hamas terrorists massacred their village. About 10% of their village was massacred. Their house does not exist anymore. It is rubble. They hid in their safe room for 30 hours, and we had no contact with them. We didn't know if they were alive and we didn't know if they were hostages, and there is no context for that, but I had to go back to that class for the rest of the semester.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
When you went to complain to the administration at McGill, did they treat you and your complaint with any respect and dignity, or did they basically disregard your comments?
9:05 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
Each office I went to told me it was a different office's jurisdiction. I spent about two weeks going from the dean of students' office to the accessibility office, which sent me back to the dean of students' office, which sent me back to the accessibility office. They just were not able to fix my issue.
I was forced to go back to a class that I felt unsafe in because nobody could help me.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Ms. Cook, when you asked for a menorah—it seems like it's a very simple request to display a menorah, a Jewish symbol of hope at Hanukkah—and instead, the university took down the Christmas trees, did people around you blame the Jew for having deprived them of Christmas?