As of Thursday noon, the Canadian government has not taken action in response to the chants. Pictured: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. Photo Credit: Mélanie Joly/X.
At a pro-Palestinian protest on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Monday, a rallying cry rang out, “Death to Canada.”
In Vancouver: chants of “We are Hezbollah, and we are Hamas.” And “Death to Canada, Death to the United States, Death to Israel.” And the Canadian flag desecrated, torn, and set ablaze.
In Ottawa: a deafening silence from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, followed by a week of political rhetoric and sideshows from the Liberals.
The masked woman shouting in a megaphone at the Vancouver rally to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the savage Hamas attacks in Israel was a member of the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun. In 2021, the Canadian government provided the group with a registered charity status, permitting it to raise funds for associated terror organizations. This summer, Samidoun director Charlotte Kates was celebrated by the Iranian government with an award for her international work on behalf of Islamic people; this is the same woman who was arrested earlier this year for a speech in which she praised the October 7th Hamas terror as “heroic and brave.”
In a National Post column,“Liberal failure to outlaw pro-terrorist group Samidoun is mind boggling,” Terry Glavin identifies the Vancouver-headquartered Samidoun Network as “the vanguard of the most outwardly pro-terror street rallies and campus demonstrations that have erupted across Canada since last October 7.” On his X account, Glavin observed, “None of this makes any sense. It’s either entirely a massive, scandalous cockup, or it’s deliberate.”
Though Trudeau made no comment on the flag burning and chilling chants, condemnation of Samidoun was swift from the federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The Conservatives released a statement, “While Jewish Canadians live in fear, terror groups like Samidoun are free to fundraise and support organizations like Hamas and the [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] who seek to kill innocent Jews… We’ve seen what happens when these groups aren’t taken seriously.” Poilievre was unequivocable in media interviews stating a Conservative government would outlaw the Samidoun in Canada by identifying it as a terrorist organization.
In the House of Commons, Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked, “So, if burning a Canadian flag, if calling for the death of Canadians, if fomenting hate in this country, and most of all being a front for an already-listed terrorist organization is not enough to put them on the list, then what the hell is it going to take for them to ban them?” MP Micheal Chong, the Conservatives’ foreign affairs critic, asked, “Samidoun is knowingly acting on behalf of, at the direction of or in association with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist group under the Criminal Code. This qualifies Samidoun for a terrorism listing. Why hasn’t this happened?”
In response, government ministers read prepared statements and repeatedly avoided answering the pointed questions. In one exchange, Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell accused the Conservatives of playing politics with the issue. This is the same Liberal MP who in June taunted “Boo Hoo, Get Over It!” to Conservative MPs who were demanding the release of the list of MPs who have been identified by Canadian security and intelligence services as having colluded with foreign governments.
While Canadians are witnessing increasingly riotous acts by pro-Palestinian protestors on the streets of the country’s urban centres, in Ottawa the governing Liberals are finding new ways to undermine the country’s founding premise of “peace, order, and good government.” It is a seemingly deliberate campaign to erode trust in Canada’s parliament and democratic process.
Regarding the alarming acts of hatred and antisemitism in Canada, Poilievre was essentially silenced in parliament by the Liberals for pressing this issue with the foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly. Speaker of the House Greg Fergus once again showed his partisan nature by barring Poilievre from attending the House of Commons for his claim that Joly is pandering to supporters of Hamas.
This is the question, verbatim, that Fergus objected to: “I gave the foreign affairs minister two opportunities to condemn the increasingly common and terrifying anti-Semitic chants we hear in the streets, such as ‘Israel will soon be gone’ and ‘There is only one solution! Intifada, revolution!’ Twice she refused to condemn those remarks. She continues to pander to Hamas supporters and the Liberal Party as part of her leadership campaign rather than doing her job. I will give her another chance. Will she publicly support Israel’s right to retaliate against the tyrants of Tehran and the terrorists of Hezbollah and Hamas to protect itself, yes or no?”
Joly and her Liberal colleagues feigned outrage saying Poilievre was being insensitive and playing crass politics. Reaction from the national press corps and pundits saw the whole incident as political theatre that obscured the facts that the government was not prepared to take action against the pro-Palestinian protests. Lorrie Goldstein of the Toronto Sun wrote, “telling us that anti-Semitism is bad is simply a statement of fact. It’s not an explanation or strategy of what they plan to do as leaders to try to address it.” Tasha Kheiriddin of the National Post wrote, “Mélanie Joly is the one gaslighting Canadians about antisemitism. Since the October 7 massacre, the government has propagated a false moral equivalence between antisemitism and Islamophobia. It’s time to call it out.”
Kheiriddin concluded her erudite column by stating, “Canadians don’t need gaslighting. They need politicians willing to shine a light on cold, hard truths, take a stand and say, “never again.””
There is a sobering sidenote to this parliamentary charade that exposes the true character of Joly and the intent of the Liberals. In a CTV News column, former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair calls out the minister for putting her self-interests ahead of Canada’s best interests. He claims that when asked about the Liberals’ policy position on Israel committing genocide that Joly responded by saying, “Thomas, have you seen the demographics of my riding?” – suggesting the minister is more concerned about her re-election chances than about a principled diplomatic position.
As of Thursday noon, the Canadian government has not taken action in response to the chants “Death to Canada.” Trudeau has yet to say a word regarding this affront to Canadians.
The Poilievre-Joly furor was but only one incident in a week of scandalous news from Ottawa. Also occurring, the House of Commons has been seized with a procedural debate on the Conservatives’ demands that the Liberals obey a parliamentary order to provide the RCMP with documents on the government’s green technology program (a.k.a. “the green slush fund”). The Liberals have stated they will not comply, and it is widely assumed the details of the program will expose gross wrongdoing. Conservative MP Micheal Chong summarizes the matter this way, “Parliament has the lawful and constitutional authority to order the production of documents. The government is defying the order for the $400M fund docs – just like the Winnipeg lab docs. Once again, it’s trampling all over the constitutional authority of the House.”
The tiresome wrestling in parliament over the details of the green slush fund is similarly being played out in procedural fights over 1) $200 million of government grants given to a company associated with environment minister Steven Guilbeault, 2) the contracts given to the company co-managed by employment minister Randy Boissonnault – while he was in cabinet, and 3) the appropriateness of Brookfield Investment Chair and United Nations financier Mark Carney being Trudeau’s economic advisor and chief fundraiser.
Column space does not permit providing commentary on the week’s revelations of the Hogue commission on foreign interference. The commission heard testimony that a veteran Liberal minister staffer was responsible for delaying a warrant against a Liberal Party powerbroker and personal friend. It also heard from a former security advisor to Trudeau that she does not believe there are any MPs who committed treasonous acts on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. This contention was challenged as being self-serving in cross-examination. (As it is all, MPs will remain under a cloud of suspicion until the list of those who are identified as having committed potentially treasonous acts is made public).
The unsettling situation playing itself out across Canada, from the streets of Vancouver to the once hallowed chambers of parliament, demands a candid response and decisive action. Canadians may get neither as the whispers of prorogation of parliament and a winter election are now being openly discussed. Prorogation is an escape hatch the Trudeau Liberals have used before – it is just hard to imagine they will head to the polls with the echoes of “Death to Canada” still ringing in Canadians’ ears.
Chris George is an advocate, government relations advisor, and writer/copy editor. As president of a public relations firm established in 1994, Chris provides discreet counsel, tactical advice and management skills to CEOs/Presidents, Boards of Directors and senior executive teams in executing public and government relations campaigns and managing issues. Prior to this PR/GR career, Chris spent seven years on Parliament Hill on staffs of Cabinet Ministers and MPs. He has served in senior campaign positions for electoral and advocacy campaigns at every level of government. Today, Chris resides in Almonte, Ontario where he and his wife manage www.cgacommunications.com. Contact Chris at chrisg.george@gmail.com.
