Israel
B’nai Brith Canada Launches Lawsuit Against Federal Government
OTTAWA – B’nai Brith Canada has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, citing its failure to comply with a motion to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in its entirety, as a terrorist organization.
The action, specifically launched against both the government and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, comes about five weeks after B’nai Brith, the Council of Iranian Canadians and the Justice 88 Campaign publicly urged the implementation of a motion passed by the House of Commons in June of 2018.
“We made it clear last month that no further delays by the government would be accepted by Canadians,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “Unfortunately, there is no alternative at this point to legal recourse. It is intolerable that 20 months have elapsed since this important motion passed, and no action has been taken by our government to implement it.
“The IRGC poses a very serious security threat to Canadians. Listing it as a terrorist entity in this country is necessary to deter this threat and reduce its ability to do harm.”
The lawsuit, B’nai Brith Senior Legal Counsel David Matas explained, asks the Court to respond to the request B’nai Brith has made to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
The IRGC was responsible for last month’s downing of a civilian airplane in Tehran, killing 57 Canadians and another 81 people who were travelling to Canada.
It is tasked with protecting Iran’s brutal Islamist dictatorship and supporting its international terrorist proxies. Its principle objective is to fuel and fund terrorism. It suppresses Iran’s own people and is a serious public security threat throughout the Middle East and around the world.
The IRGC has been responsible for sponsoring, orchestrating and carrying out many deadly terror attacks on foreign soil, from the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Argentina to the killing of hundreds of U.S. service people and civilians in Iraq, to the recent siege of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, to conducting terrorist plots in Germany, just to name a few.
In Toronto and other major cities around the world, the IRGC supports the disturbing al-Quds Day hatefests that demonize Israel and incite hatred toward Jews. Earlier this week, B’nai Brith drew attention to the use of a “We Are Jew-Killers” slogan at an IRGC-backed rally in Tehran.
So what does it mean to be listed as a terrorist group in Canada?
Groups listed as terrorists in Canada are forbidden from legally operating in the country. In addition, a listing forbids Canadians from supporting or funding the terrorist group. As of now, it is fully legal for any Canadian to provide funds to brutal and dangerous terrorist groups if they are not listed. That is why listing the IRGC is necessary.
The House of Commons motion in June of 2018 was sponsored by Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan MP Garnett Genuis, who asked the government to “immediately” list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. All Conservative and Liberal MPs in attendance voted in favour.
The United States formally listed the IRGC as a terrorist group in April of 2019. Canada previously listed the Quds Force, the IRGC’s external operations branch, but not the umbrella organization.
“Today,” Mostyn said, “the Islamist regime is undoubtedly seeking to avenge the killing of its IRGC General (Qasem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. air strike Jan. 3). Canadians are more at risk than ever by the IRGC. Our safety concerns are pragmatic, moral and urgent.
“The government must act immediately – and our lawsuit aims to ensure this immediate action.”
Israel
Join the Masa Canadian Professionals Volunteers Program!
You are invited on a 4-week volunteer program in Israel from October 14th to November 10th. Help rebuild Israeli society post-October 7th over Canadian Thanksgiving, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Spend three weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
Features
New website for Israelis interested in moving to Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN (May 21, 2024) A new website, titled “Orvrim to Canada” (https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/ovrim-en) has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visits, according to Michal Harel, operator of the website.
In an email sent to jewishpostandnews.ca Michal explained the reasons for her having started the website:
“In response to the October 7th events, a group of friends and I, all Israeli-Canadian immigrants, came together to launch a new website supporting Israelis relocating to Canada. “Our website, https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/, offers a comprehensive platform featuring:
- Step-by-step guides for starting the immigration process
- Settlement support and guidance
- Community connections and networking opportunities
- Business relocation assistance and expert advice
- Personal blog sharing immigrants’ experiences and insights
“With over 200,000 visitors and media coverage from prominent Israeli TV channels and newspapers, our website has already made a significant impact in many lives.”
A quick look at the website shows that it contains a wealth of information, almost all in Hebrew, but with an English version that gives an overview of what the website is all about.
The English version also contains a link to a Jerusalem Post story, published this past February, titled “Tired of war? Canada grants multi-year visas to Israelis” (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-787914#google_vignette) That story not only explains the requirements involved for anyone interested in moving to Canada from Israel, it gives a detailed breakdown of the costs one should expect to encounter.
(Updated May 28)
We contacted Ms. Harel to ask whether she’s aware whether there has been an increase in the number of Israelis deciding to emigrate from Israel since October 7. (We want to make clear that we’re not advocating for Israelis to emigrate; we’re simply wanting to learn more about emigration figures – and whether there has been a change in the number of Israelis wanting to leave the country.)
Ms. Harel referred us to a website titled “Globes”: https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001471862
The website is in Hebrew, but we were able to translate it into English. There is a graph on the website showing both numbers of immigrants to Israel and emigrants.
The graph shows a fairly steady rate of emigration from 2015-2022, hovering in the 40,000 range, then in 2023 there’s a sudden increase in the number of emigrants to 60,000.
According to the website, the increase in emigrants is due more to a change in the methodology that Israel has been using to count immigrants and emigrants than it is to any sudden upsurge in emigration. (Apparently individuals who had formerly been living in Israel but who may have returned to Israel just once a year were being counted as having immigrated back to Israel. Now that they are no longer being counted as immigrants and instead are being treated as emigrants, the numbers have shifted radically.)
Yet, the website adds this warning: “The figures do not take into account the effects of the war, since it is still not possible to identify those who chose to emigrate following it. It is also difficult to estimate what Yalad Yom will produce – on the one hand, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israelis around the world reminds everyone where the Jewish home is. On the other hand, the bitter truth we discovered in October is that it was precisely in Israel, the safe fortress of the Jewish people, that a massacre took place reminding us of the horrors of the Holocaust. And if that’s not enough, the explosive social atmosphere and the difference in the state budget deficit, which will inevitably lead to a heavy burden of taxes and a reduction in public services, may convince Zionist Israelis that they don’t belong here.”
Thus, as much as many of us would be disappointed to learn that there is now an upsurge in Israelis wanting to move out of the country, once reliable figures begin to be produced for 2024, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that is the case – which helps to explain the tremendous popularity of Ms. Harel’s website.
Features
Message from a Palestinian in Gaza to protesters: “You’re hurting the Palestinian cause”
A very brave Palestinian who was willing to put his name to paper and write an article for Newsweek Magazine has exposed the utter hypocrisy of all those students – and others, who have been setting up encampments across the U.S. – and now Canada, too.
You can read the article at https://www.newsweek.com/message-gazan-campus-protesters-youre-hurting-palestinian-cause-opinion-1894313
You must be logged in to post a comment Login