After significant community concern and advocacy, including much engagement by many Canadians, including NCCM, the Government of Canada has clarified in a response letter that anti-Zionism is not inherently antisemitic, reaffirming Canadians’ right to engage in open, respectful, and lawful debate about Israel, its government policies, and any political ideology.
In its response to NCCM on October 16th, the Minister of Public Safety reaffirmed that the Report is not intended to suggest that all criticism of Zionism or Israel is antisemitic, nor to limit or discourage lawful political expression and public debate.
While this clarification is a step in the right direction, many in our community remain concerned about the IHRA definition and how it may be applied in practice to chill legitimate political speech, even though the federal government states that it is non-prescriptive guidance and does not restrict Charter-protected freedoms.
Many Canadians have lost their jobs for innocuous statements critiquing Israel. We’ve taken many of these cases to court to protect their rights and have won.
We will continue to advocate for the protection of civil liberties, freedom of expression, and the right of all Canadians to engage in legitimate political debate without fear of having their views unfairly characterized.