June 4, 2004
Election calls Jews to action
National, local bodies urge activism in your choice political campaign.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
In what is shaping up as one of the most unpredictable election campaigns in recent memory, federal candidates are seeking the support of Jewish voters – and Jewish Canadians are taking a hard look at the choices facing them.
A candidates' forum sponsored by three multicultural agencies, including Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), is slated for next Wednesday at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. Candidates from the three national parties in each of the five Vancouver ridings have been invited to the forum, which is sponsored by CJC, with the Chinese-Canadian organization SUCCESS and the Vancouver Multicultural Society. The forum, which is similar to events in previous elections, will address issues of social justice, immigration, human rights and Canada's international role, in addition to questions raised from the floor.
In an open letter to CJC members and supporters, Mark Weintraub, the new chair of CJC, Pacific Region, urged Canadian Jews to get involved in politics.
"A campaign is a most significant time to establish relationships with and provide information of concern to potential members of Parliament," he wrote. "One of the best ways in doing this is to become active as a volunteer in a campaign. Even if your candidate is unsuccessful, the educative value of your participation for the longer term cannot be overemphasized."
Weintraub told the Bulletin he is encouraged that there have been a few signs of increased political activity among Jewish British Columbians, something CJC has long been encouraging.
In terms of issues specific to the Jewish community, Weintraub said the community shares the same concerns as the bulk of the Canadian electorate, from health-care policy, domestic security issues and the environment, to fair and equitable taxation. Even issues like anti-Semitism should not be considered "Jewish issues," he said. Citing as an example violence against women, Weintraub said. "we're all affected by the pathology." Though anti-Semitism affects Jewish Canadians most directly, he said, it is a Canadian problem and needs to be addressed as such.
At the national level, the new umbrella agency CIJA-PAC – the political action committee of the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy – is set to release "issue sheets" that will help Jewish and Zionist voters to query their local candidates. In a letter to CIJA members, the group's chair, Mark Waldman, equated participation in political activity with tikkun olam, the Jewish interdiction to help repair the world.
"Other groups are involving themselves in various political parties," Waldman wrote. "We too need to offer support to candidates and volunteer for their campaigns. Without our presence, visibility and participation, we will lose the ability to be heard in Ottawa on important policy issues at a time when a strong voice is needed most. The most effective means of conveying the Jewish community's messages and mutual understanding to our political leadership is by actively participating in the political process.... We need a strong base of support among all of the political parties."
Waldman told the Bulletin he would like to see Jewish Canadians avoid placing all their political eggs in one basket. Each member of the community should become active in the campaigns of the political party they feel best reflects their views – participation is key, rather than the support of one particular party.
"It's critical for our community to get involved in political activity," said Waldman. "The federal government plays an important role in all aspects of our life."
Waldman and others were recently in Washington, D.C., meeting with American political leaders and other Zionists. The speeches he heard from Democratic and Republican politicians, Waldman said, indicated that American leaders recognize the shared values between their country and the only democratic regime in the Middle East.
"Supporting Israel is an American value, it's not a Democratic or Republican value," he said. "We need to do that here."
Though the Jewish community has concerns with a wide swath of political issues, Canadian foreign policy toward Israel has leapt to the top of the community's agenda since the last election. Increasing acts of verbal and physical hatred over the past four years in Canada have created a sense of urgency and isolation. Canada's votes against Israel at the United Nations have often riled Jewish community leaders, though the addition of groups like Hamas to the list of banned terrorist organizations has been seen as a positive development.
Few Jewish candidates have put themselves forward for election in recent years. Two members of Vancouver's Jewish community contested Conservative party nominations in Vancouver-Quadra and Vancouver-South, but neither was successful. Canadians vote June 28.
The Vancouver candidates' forum being co-sponsored by CJC takes place Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m., at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and commentator.
http://www.jewishindependent.ca/archives/June04/archives04Jun04-01.html
