December 24, 2004
Progress seen with labor
Local Jewish groups seem to get their points heard.
PAT JOHNSON
It may not be a return to the old days when Zionism and trade unionism were inseparable allies, but some local Jewish community leaders are cautiously optimistic that a recent incident may signal the beginning of a rapprochement.
The British Columbia Federation of Labor passed a resolution condemning Israel's security barrier last month, but not before the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Canada-Israel Committee were able to correct a basic inaccuracy in the resolution. Although the resolution ended up passing, Zionist activists say they feel their concerns were heard. Originally, the resolution stated that the International Court of Justice had ruled that Israel's security barrier contravened international law. In fact, The Hague court's decision was a non-binding advisory opinion, a point made in a letter from two local organizations to the head of the union from which the resolution came.
The motion originated with the social justice advisory committee of the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and progressed to the B.C. Federation of Labor, which is the umbrella labor organization for the province, at its general convention in Vancouver, Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.
The BCTF decided to reconsider the issue after a joint letter to the BCTF from Mark Weintraub, chair of Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region, and Bob Willmot, chair of the B.C. branch of the Canada-Israel Committee. The letter outlined the concerns the two organizations had over the nature of the resolution, which condemned Israel's fence without condemning the terrorism that is the root cause of the barrier.
"This resolution lacks context, accuracy and the requisite balance," wrote Weintraub and Willmot. "Members [of the union] who know little about the conflict should be properly presented with full information and a balanced resolution if they are being asked to vote on something so controversial and so potentially alienating for some longtime and stalwart members of the labor movement who feel the concept of a security barrier is sound, although they may disagree with its routing."
As a result, the BCTF returned the issue to its executive, which some activists assumed meant the issue would be shelved for the time being. But a different group managed to get a similar resolution to the plenary after all.
"We understand that, the next day, individuals who are associated with the elementary teachers' association put forth a similar motion but, by reason of internal constitutional process, that motion was able to proceed to the B.C. Federation of Labor convention floor," Weintraub said.
The resolution, in the end, "resolved that the B.C. Federation of Labor through the Canadian Labor Congress demand that the Canadian government exert all possible pressure on the Israeli government to dismantle the wall built by Israel on occupied Palestinian territory."
It may not seem like a ringing victory for a balanced presentation of Middle East issues, but spokespeople for both the Canada-Israel Committee and Congress say that it is a sign labor is willing to engage with them on their concerns.
"This shift emphasizes the significance of engaging in a dialogue with the labor movement and calling to task the various inaccuracies in a constructive manner. The change in the text of the resolution is a result of this effort," said Nava Mizrahi, director of the Canada-Israel Committee for the Pacific region. "Again, it's a small but important first step."
Regrettably, she said, the final resolution did not address the very reason why Israel is building the anti-terror fence in the first place and it therefore lacks the requisite balance. Mizrahi suggests that such imbalance and lack of context does not contribute to achieving Arab-Israeli peace, but in fact may undermine the labor movement's claims to fairness and social justice.
"One-sided and inaccurate resolutions can easily be interpreted as a perversion of the social justice concerns [labor] purports to support," she said.
It may have been the process, as much as the final product, which gave encouragement to the CIC and Congress representatives, Mizrahi acknowledged, an attitude echoed by Weintraub.
"We were very much aware that there were individuals who were concerned by the one-sided nature of the resolution," Weintraub said. "There were other individuals who were highly motivated, [who] appeared to be very intent to have this motion be put forward.... We're still disappointed that there wasn't a proper emphasis on the reason why the security barrier had been implemented, namely to stop terrorism. That motivating reason was absent from the resolution and therefore if anyone is reading that resolution, it doesn't really make sense. It is just a one-sided condemnation. We are disappointed, but we do take cognizance of the fact that there was debate by reason of our communication and that there was some modification for the purposes of trying to be a little more balanced."
Jewish trade unionists, who have sometimes found themselves at odds with their allies as the Canadian labor movement has adopted wide-ranging and often vitriolic anti-Israel positions over the past several years, remain reticent as controversy continues to swirl. One prominent labor leader said the place for him to make his contribution is inside the movement, not in media.
Meanwhile, other efforts have been made between the Jewish community and Canada's left. Canadian Jewish Congress recently met with New Democratic Party members of Parliament Libby Davies (Vancouver East) and Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) to discuss a range of issues, including the imminent crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.
"We met with [the MPs] on a number of issues including Darfur, resurgent anti-Semitism and the NDP's relationship with the Jewish community," said Weintraub. "CJC has met with Libby Davies on a number of occasions over the years and there have often been open exchanges on issues of agreement and issues of disagreement. We always value her accessibility and her commitment to listen carefully to views which she may not agree with."
Pat Johnson is a B.C. journalist and commentator.
