URGENT ACTION: Tell Minister Hussen you can’t fight racism with racism

Canadian Minister of Diversity and Inclusion, Ahmed Hussen, recently implied that the government may soon be requiring grant recipients to support the dangerous and divisive International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

As detailed in recently released reports–Unveiling the Chilly Climate: The Suppression of Speech on Palestine in Canada and Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming Framing and Manifestations–the IHRA definition has a terrible track record of reinforcing, rather than fighting, racism.

Both a shield to defend Israel from criticism and a weapon to silence Israel’s critics, the IHRA definition threatens the very anti-racism work that Canadian Heritage is mandated to promote.

If the measure is implemented, it would signal the most significant application of the IHRA definition in Canada to date and constitute an egregious assault on Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities, not to mention the rights of all Canadians to speak out in defence of human rights and against racism.

Send a letter to Minister Hussen now telling him you can’t fight racism with racism.

NO to requiring grant recipients to uphold IHRA!

DROP IHRA from Canada’s Anti-racism strategy!

(Please feel free to edit your message below as you see fit)

cc.

Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada)

Pablo Rodriguez (Minister of Canadian Heritage)

Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Paul Chiang (Parliamentary Secretary, diversity and inclusion)

Salma Zahid (Chair, Canada-Palestine Parliamentary friendship group)

Alexandre Boulerice (vice-chair, Canada-Palestine Parliamentary friendship group)

Mario Beaulieu (vice-chair, Canada-Palestine Parliamentary friendship group)

Elizabeth May (vice chair, Canada-Palestine Parliamentary friendship group)

Peter Julian (NDP Heritage critic)

Martin Champoux (Bloc Québecois Heritage critic)

Sameer Zuberi (Chair, Parliamentary Muslim Caucus)

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Country

State/Province

City

Postal Code

Subject *

Message *

Hon. Ahmed Hussen
Minister of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion

I’m writing to express my deep concern that a new attestation form may force organizations seeking funding from Canadian Heritage to support the divisive IHRA working definition of antisemitism, which conflates legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy with antisemitism. Indications that it may be used by government staff to vet grant applications are equally troubling.

Recent reports have demonstrated that the IHRA definition has already had a documented chilling effect on Canadians who express criticism of Israeli state racism (see: www.ijvcanada.org/unveilingthechillyclimate/) and it has itself led to widespread accounts of Anti-Palestinian and Anti-Arab Racism (see report: www.canarablaw.org). It would therefore be highly inappropriate and contradictory for a government body mandated to promote diversity, inclusion and antiracism to employ or require adherence to such a definition.

Such measures would furthermore inhibit the ability of Canadians to engage in legitimate democratic debate and criticism of Israeli state policy. For instance, well-documented reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accusing Israel of practicing the international crime of apartheid, have been interpreted as violating the IHRA definition (see: www.togetheragainstapatheid.org).

There is already a broad base of opposition to IHRA, which includes the Progressive Israel Network, the Jewish Faculty Network, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Labour Congress, and over 40 Canadian faculty associations and academic unions.

I ask that Canadian Heritage drop the IHRA definition from Canada’s revised Anti-Racism Strategy and confirm that no attestation form nor vetting process will be mandated that includes it.

Sincerely,