Terry Newman: Minister’s Letter Does Not Backtrack on Anti-Zionism Acknowledgment

EDITORIAL: Feds waffling on ‘anti-Zionism’

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree watered down federal government's definition of anti-Zionism.

Terry Newman: Minister’s letter does not backtrack on anti-Zionism acknowledgment

On Sunday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) posted a response letter to Instagram it received from Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to its request for further clarification about the national commitments to combat antisemitism initiative’s recent report, which acknowledged that antisemitism includes anti-Zionism. It began with a misleading headline: “Government of Canada clarifies: […]

“Position Has Not Changed”: The Canadian Government Reaffirms That Antisemitism Includes Anti-Zionism

Last month’s Public Safety progress report on the National Commitments to Combat Antisemitism notably included statements recognizing that antisemitism includes anti-Zionism. The National Council of Canadian Muslims wrote to the department to object and is now circulating a reply from Minister Gary Anandasangaree that former Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia Amira Elghawaby touted as showing that the “Government of Canada Clarifies Anti-Zionism is not Anti-Semitism.” The reality, however, is that the response did no such thing: it does not retract or amend the report, states twice that the government’s position has not changed, and links anti-Zionism to the denial of Jewish self-determination.