A proposal to appoint Liberal MP Anthony Housefather to a new role fighting anti-Semitism has been in the works for weeks but has been put on hold due to concerns about divisions in government over the war between Israel and Hamas, CBC News has learned.
Sources who spoke to CBC News, including one member of the parliamentary caucus, also questioned how Hausfather’s role differs from the work of Deborah Lyons, the special envoy for Holocaust memory preservation and combating anti-Semitism.
The proposed appointment comes after Housefather, a Montreal MP, publicly considered leaving the Liberal party in March. He pondered his future in the party for several weeks after helping pass an NDP motion in which nearly all MPs criticized Israel’s actions in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. He ultimately decided to stay on as a member of the parliament.
The government has been criticized by Jewish groups for not being supportive enough of Israel, but support among Jews there is waning. Both Jews and Muslims.
CBC News reached out to Housefather for comment but he declined. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office also declined to comment.
No announcements about appointments will be made today, said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.
The official said addressing rising anti-Semitism and violence against Jewish communities across Canada is a top priority for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The official also acknowledged that the government needed to decide how the post would align with the caucus and Mr. Lyons’ work. He said the government was also committed to fighting Islamophobia.
News of the possible announcement spread among Liberal MPs late Thursday.
Shafqat Ali, Liberal MP for Brampton Centre, said in a text message to CBC News that he doesn’t think Housefather is qualified for the job.
“I believe his appointment will not help address anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, as he has demonstrated poor judgment and contributed significantly to dividing Canadians over the past eight months,” he wrote.
“Ben Carr or Julie D’Absurdine or anyone who takes a balanced approach would do a better job,” he added, referring to the Liberal MPs for Winnipeg South Centre and Toronto Danforth.
“If I leave, where does that leave the pro-Israel voices within the Liberal Party?” Rep. Anthony Housefather, who announced his intention to stay in the caucus despite concerns about the government’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, said in an interview with Power & Politics magazine.
In a phone interview, Ali said he wasn’t sure whether Housefather would take on Lyons’ role without duplicating his job.
“I do not know [this job is] “We will add to the existing posts, strengthen them, support them, otherwise they may not have credibility,” Ali said.
News of Hausfather’s possible appointment came after Jewish advocacy groups such as B’nai Brith Canada A record rise in anti-Semitic acts.
Also, a few days ago The Liberals aim to retain the Toronto-St. Paul constituency The by-election was fiercely fought: Jewish people make up about 11 per cent of the electorate in the district, according to 2019 data from Elections Canada.
Ali said he doubted its connection to the upcoming vote.
“People are going to be determined to vote,” he said. “I don’t know if this is going to have an effect on the election.”
The government official, who was not named, also disputed suggestions that the appointments were intended to coincide with by-elections.
In a motion passed in March, the House of Representatives called on the federal government to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state through a negotiated two-state solution and to halt further arms transfers to Israel.
Only three Liberal MPs voted against it, including Housefather, who publicly said he was considering whether to stay in the Liberal party.
On April 5, he announced that he would remain in his position, and in a media statement said he had “had lengthy and important discussions with the Prime Minister over the past few days.”
“We discussed policing, safe zones during demonstrations and community briefings, university campuses, anti-Semitism education, implementing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, and more. [of antisemitism] And there’s a lot more,” he said.
In an interview with CBC Power and politics, said the housefather His conversation with Trudeau helped shape his decision to stay with the party.
“He said, ‘Work with me, work with Deborah Lyons, and provide leadership on this issue and we can solve it,'” he told host David Cochran.
The Conservative party announced Wednesday that Neil Oberman will be its candidate in the Mount Royal constituency, which Housefather has represented since 2015.
Oberman is the lawyer who recently represented students in a lawsuit against a pro-Palestinian camp on McGill University’s campus.
The Liberal Party has controlled Mount Royal since 1940.
