Vancouver MPs Joyce Murray and Hedy Fry will be on panel holding inquiry into antisemitism

A newly formed Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism will hold a national inquiry.

According to a news release issued today (June 2) by Vancouver Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray, the all-party committee will investigate the extent of antisemitism in Canada. Murray and Vancouver Centre Liberal MP Hedy Fry  are the only two B.C. MPs on the inquiry panel.

It will begin by accepting written submissions of up to 2,000 words from any individual or group no later than July 31st. This will be followed by hearings in the fall to gather testimony, culminating in a final report by the spring of 2010.

“Antisemitism is on the rise around the world on a scale not seen since World War II,” Murray said in the news release. “The inquiry launched by our Coalition will be an important tool in understanding the extent of the problem in Canada, and how to combat it.”

Murray participated in the London Conference on Antisemitism  in February.  

It produced the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism, which urged legislators around the world to “establish inquiry scrutiny panels that are tasked with determining the existing nature and state of antisemitism in their countries and developing recommendations for government and civil society action".

The Canadian Parliamentary Committee to Combat Antisemitism inquiry panel is chaired by Liberal MP Mario Silva and the vice chair is Conservative MP Scott  Reid. The members are Carolyn Bennett, Lois Brown, Luc Desnoyers, Ken Dryden, Rick Dykstra, Raymonde Folco, Hedy Fry, Randy Hoback, Peter Kent, Joyce Murray, Anita Neville, David Sweet, íˆve-Mary Thaí¯, Thi Lac, Tim Uppal, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, and Jeff Watson.

The coalition's steering committee is chaired by Reid, and the vice chair is Silva. The other steering committee members are Desnoyers, Folco, Candice Hoeppner, Bob Rae, Sweet, Thaí¯, Lac, and Wasylycia-Leis.

Comments

3 Comments

Orest Slepokura

Jun 2, 2009 at 8:54pm

Hedy Fry ignited a political backlash when, on March 21, 2001, in reply to a question in the House of Commons, she claimed that crosses were being burned on lawns in Prince George, British Columbia "as we speak". No evidence of this had ever been given and, when asked to justify her claim, she stated that the mayor of Prince George had informed her of this. When asked, the mayor denied having said such a thing. It was later suggested Fry had confused Prince George with Merritt, British Columbia, where a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard was arrested following reported racist activity. It's reassuring to know that Dr Fry will now turn her attention to rooting out the cause(s) of antisemitism.

John Love

Jun 3, 2009 at 8:30am

I have a great way to combat anti-Semitism. Fight Jewish Supremacism. The media always portrays Jews as being more important than everyone else. Everyone knows how many Jews died in WWII, but how many Canadians, Americans, British, and Russian people died in that terrible war? How about ending the cruel treatment of the Palestinians? How about everyone being treated equally in the press, and by Jewish organizations when it comes to racial organizing? How can Jews who form racial organizations like the ADL call White people who do the same thing racist? There is too much hate and hypocrisy in the Jewish community toward Gentiles, and that is the main cause of anti-Semitism.

Ainsley Rodgers

Jun 3, 2009 at 8:56am

Regardless Dr Fry has been continuously re-elected. She works passionately for her constituents and I am happy that she is my MP. When I first moved here I felt very much the same about this but I sent a letter to her office and recieved a large amount of information about how there was someone in Merritt, like this, http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=110333.

Regardless, people who tend towards this argument seem to think this precludes her. I say good for her for making a point. I think think comments like this really tend to make us non political lefties scratch our heads, I'm ok with people making mistakes. It happens somtimes. But my question is why it always gets brought up, compared to things that other politicians have said it is so minor and so unimportant.