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John, We are reaching out to share an urgent issue impacting our community. Recently, through a social media post by the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, it was announced that the federal government signaled support for “Anti-Palestinian Racism” (APR) – a concept that, while claiming to address discrimination, in reality risks undermining protections for Jewish Canadians and misusing human rights laws to entrench specific narratives. We’re writing to update you that we immediately engaged the government on this issue and have continued those interventions through today. We have now written directly to the Prime Minister about our concerns. APR is not about human rights protection. Palestinian Canadians already have full protection under Canadian human rights law, as they should. But APR goes beyond addressing discrimination: it aims to silence criticism of certain perspectives, threaten expressions of Jewish identity, and undermine the IHRA definition of antisemitism. By doing so, APR uses human rights to single out Jewish voices and attack core aspects of our heritage and beliefs, including the right to self-determination in Israel, Zionism, and even the flag of Israel. Current definitions classify basic expressions of Jewish identity and support for Israel—such as wearing an Israeli pin, opposing BDS, or disagreeing with the Nakba narrative—as racist. This concept has no basis in human rights law and risks undermining existing Canadian policy and the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We’re calling on the government to reject APR and protect all Canadians equally under the law. This includes rejecting attempts to redefine the IHRA definition or silence Jewish perspectives on Israel. Upholding consistent human rights standards is essential to maintaining a fair and just Canada for all. We will continue to update you as this develops. Thank you for standing with us. Contact us at [email protected] with questions or comments. CIJA |
