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.
9:45 a.m.
Bloc
9:45 a.m.
Attorney, As an Individual
We must stop believing that we can solve everyone's problems. We can't remain neutral in a situation of this nature. At McGill University, the issue is quite clear. There are rules. People must follow the rules, but they must want to do so, Mr. Fortin. No willingness means no solution.
I also told the judge that McGill University was asked if it supported the injunction.
Do you know how the university responded? It said that it hadn't asked the court for the injunction.
So, when you sit on the fence and eat chocolate, don't expect good things to happen.
9:45 a.m.
Bloc
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Thank you. I'm sorry, but I have only one minute left.
Ms. Pressmann, what do you think McGill University should do? How should it approach this deplorable situation?
9:45 a.m.
Founder, Canadian Union of Jewish Students
Across the country, we've seen that universities are not properly upholding our rights as students. They need to be using their own policies, but they need to be very clear about how anti-Semitic incidents should be dealt with so that we're not put in the situation where, for months, we're being tossed around to different departments. They also need to be using their own student codes of conduct and to understand that even if hateful speech isn't the same as hate speech, it should still be seen as dangerous to the Jewish student community.
9:45 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I think it's an easy answer. I think the university has to enforce its own policies and bylaws. If a student pushed a police officer on campus, threatened students—
9:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
You're a bit close to the microphone, I'm told by the interpreters. They can hear you. Just move away from the microphone.
9:45 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
If a student pushed a police officer on campus, and if the same student threatened the life of other students, physically attacked other students, was arrested twice since the incident and he's still a student at Concordia University, I don't know what to say any more.
9:45 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
Yes, at the university, instead of students having to make complaints, cultivate an environment where people do not feel empowered to behave with their hateful and divisive views as openly and as freely as they do now.
9:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Thank you, Monsieur Fortin.
Mr. Garrison, you have two and a half minutes, please.
9:45 a.m.
NDP
Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'm going to give some time to Ms. Nashen to add anything she wants to in this debate, because I feel that our format sometimes really restricts those who are presenting. I'll start by doing that.
9:45 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I want to talk about a protest that took place at McGill University at the end of March, where a crowd of protesters—as they do at all protests—was chanting “Viva, viva, intifada”. I asked a senior administrator at McGill if saying that “We should kill all [insert name of group here] people”, would that violate the McGill code of conduct? They said yes.
I asked why calling for intifada did not violate the McGill code of conduct. They said because calling for the genocide of a group of people explicitly violated the law. Therefore, it violated the code of conduct, but where the law fails to protect us as Jewish students, our universities provide no extra protection.
9:45 a.m.
Founder, Canadian Union of Jewish Students
I want to add that I'm here on behalf of the Canadian Union of Jewish Students. CUJS is a non-partisan organization that has multiple students who are involved in different political parties.
At the end of the day when we see a sign calling for an intifada, and at the end of the day when we are excluded from our classes and face violence, every single Jewish student is affected regardless of the fact they're NDP, Liberal, Bloc, Green or Conservative. We are all equally affected by this. In my role here, I want to raise awareness about the fact that we are all dealing with this. I may have my own opinions, and other people may have their own opinions, but I'm here talking on behalf of Jewish students.
Yes, there is a feeling that we could get more support from the government. That is true. Some of us do feel that way, but we're working together to combat this hatred because everyone in this room here cares about anti-Semitism on campus, and I'm here on behalf of Canadian Union of Jewish Students to work with all of you, regardless of any partisanship that may be in this room.
Thank you.
9:50 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I just want to say that I hope the University of Alberta starts taking a proactive approach and bringing students together. We are a nation of two languages, many cultures and many differences of opinion. In the week after October 7, if the university had been proactive about bringing people together in a good faith attempt to have discussions, this might not have happened, and it wouldn't be to the point where I physically dread walking onto campus every day.
9:50 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
I just wanted to make one thing clear. What we're doing here today and, since October 7, what my friends and I are doing, is not only for the Jewish community. We're doing it for all the communities. Today, it's about the Jews; tomorrow, it's another minority. We have to solve it now.
Thank you.
9:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Thank you.
We will now go to Mr. Van Popta for five minutes, please.
May 9th, 2024 / 9:50 a.m.
Conservative
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all of the witnesses for being here today.
I'm shocked to hear about anti-Semitism. I was raised by Dutch immigrant parents who left the Netherlands after World War II. I was raised hearing stories about Dutch people protecting Jewish people and hiding them, sometimes for years on end, and about the Dutch resistance against the Nazi occupiers. My grandfather died in a Nazi concentration camp for his defence of Jewish people. That's what I was raised on.
I thought anti-Semitism was dead, but obviously I'm naive about these sorts of things. I was very shocked, as was the whole world, about what happened in Israel on October 7.
Now, I have to tell you that I'm also very shocked as to what's going on at campuses in Canada, the Canada that I thought was a free and democratic nation, a country of the rule of law, where the laws should be enforced. I'm shocked to hear these stories.
Thank you for your bravery, for your courage and for standing up for everything that is right and decent.
I do have a question. I think I'll direct it to Nicole.
I thought it was a very interesting analysis equating being Jewish to being Zionist, and anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. You're equating them. Here's my question for you. In an environment of free speech and free expression, is there room for right-thinking people to be critical of the modern State of Israel today and the way it is conducting itself in the Middle East and, in particular, in the war in Gaza right now?
9:50 a.m.
Student, As an Individual
In August last summer, before October 7, I was in Israel. One of my proudest moments ever to be Jewish was going with my cousins to the protest in Tel Aviv. Jewish people always like to argue. We have lots of different opinions on the actions of the Israeli government. That does not make us any less Zionist or any less proud of our homeland.
Natan Sharansky has three Ds of anti-Semitism: demonization, delegitimization and double standards. You can criticize the actions and the policies of the Israeli government without saying that Jews don't have the right to live there.
9:50 a.m.
Conservative
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Thank you.
Do you hear that level of discourse in your university today, or is it more of these protests that we're hearing about?