Khaled 🇵🇸

For the first time, Public Safety Canada has stated explicitly that its definition of antisemitism includes opposing Zionism. As the Ministry that oversees enforcement agencies like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), this conflation is very alarming. As acts of right-wing extremism rise, including the recent abhorrent attempted shooting of an Ontario synagogue full of congregants on Yom Kippur, the Canadian government must ensure the safety of all Canadians to practice their faith in peace and participate freely in society without fear. Incitement, threats and violence can never be accepted. However, these incidents cannot be used as an excuse to repress legitimate political expression. Palestinian Canadians have the right to to participate fully in Canadian society, including civil and political discourse on issues that directly affect their families. They must be able to honour their relationship to their ancestral homeland and to name the political ideology that perpetuates their displacement and erasure, and they must be able to do so without fear of criminalization or discrimination. These are fundamental rights enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are steadfast in our legal efforts to protect the rights of both Palestinian Canadians and those who stand with them in solidarity, and are exploring our options for responding to this dangerous conflation accordingly.