Two Liberal MPs will host a roundtable on anti-Palestinian racism in Toronto on Friday night to consider whether this type of discrimination should be part of the federal government’s recently updated anti-racism strategy, according to information obtained by CBC News.
The move comes after one of the MPs, Salma Zahid of Scarborough Centre, quietly threatened to resign from her parliamentary committee duties three weeks ago in protest.
Participating in a committee gives an MP the opportunity to shape legislation before it is enacted, and can also be a stepping stone to a higher office, such as party whip, speaker or even cabinet minister.
A highly publicized resignation could have been embarrassing for a Liberal party that has yet to recover from its defeat in the Toronto-St. Paul by-election.
In a draft statement that Zahid’s office prepared to release in July but never released (a copy of which was provided to CBC News), the Toronto-area MP criticised the government for “failing to treat Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism with the seriousness it deserves” and for not mentioning anti-Palestinian racism in the updated anti-racism strategy.
Government Anti-racism strategies Palestinian They belong to “racial and religious minority communities in Canada” that are affected by systemic racism, it said, adding that since the events of Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the latest Israeli-Hamas clash in Gaza, “there has been an unprecedented level of hatred against Jewish, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities here in Canada.”
However, the strategy makes no explicit mention of anti-Palestinian racism.
“It is unacceptable to act as if it does not exist,” Zahid said in an unpublished statement in July. “I will be stepping down from my parliamentary standing committee positions with immediate effect.”
However, Zahid did not make this statement public.
She also did not resign from her positions on the Public Safety Committee, the Citizenship and Immigration Committee or the Subcommittee on Immigration.
In an interview Thursday, CBC News asked him what changed and why he didn’t go ahead with his planned resignation.
“My constituents believe that no concrete action has been taken and have been urging me to step down from my duties as an MP,” she said.
“I am always listening to my constituents and working with the Government of Canada to ensure their voices are heard.”
WATCH | Scarborough Liberal MP says constituents wanted him to step down from parliamentary committees:
Scarborough Liberal MP Salma Zahid told CBC News that her constituents believe no concrete action has been taken regarding anti-Palestinian racism and that she should step down from her duties as an MP. Zahid did not step down from her parliamentary committee positions.
Zahid added that he was in discussions with government officials.
“Over the past nine months, we have seen an increase in incidents of anti-Palestinian racism here in Canada,” Zahid said.
“We are witnessing attacks on peaceful protests and many people being threatened or losing their jobs simply because they are trying to speak up for the rights of Palestinians,” she said.
Another MP attending Friday’s roundtable was Montreal-area MP Samir Zuberi, whose constituency is Pierrefonds-Doral.
He is Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Diversity and Inclusion Kamal Khera, whose office has published an anti-racism strategy.
Zuberi and Zahid have been some of the most vocal Liberal caucus in support of Palestine since October last year and were among the first to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, weeks before it became government policy.
“We are pleased to see MPs putting strategies forward for local communities and promoting local initiatives that highlight funding opportunities while listening to residents’ voices and concerns,” Khera’s office told CBC News.
Zahid said she and Zuberi would prepare a report after discussions and submit it to Khera.
Israel’s war on Gaza has caused divisions among liberals.
MP Anthony Housefather publicly considered leaving the party after nearly all MPs helped pass an NDP motion criticising Israel and Hamas’ actions in the conflict.
He ultimately decided to stay on and was appointed the federal government’s new special adviser on relations with the Jewish community and anti-Semitism.
Calls for recognition of anti-Palestinian racism
The Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) 2022 Report They call for anti-Palestinian racism to be widely acknowledged.
“Anti-Palestinian racism is a unique form of racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, denigrates and dehumanizes Palestinians and those who speak out for Palestinian rights,” Dania Majid, the association’s president and founder, said in an interview with CBC.
“This is often used to support Israel’s occupation, illegal occupation and apartheid against the Palestinian people and their land,” Majid added.
WATCH | What is Anti-Palestinian Racism?
Dania Majid, a lawyer and founder and president of the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association, says anti-Palestinian racism is a unique form of racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, denigrates and dehumanizes Palestinians and those who speak out for Palestinian rights. She explains how it is different from other kinds of racism:
According to ACLA’s 2022 report, Palestinians face unique forms of racism that target both them and their allies.
According to the report, this can include denial of employment, microaggressions, negative comments about their Palestinian identity and even denial of the Nakba.
Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic, is how Palestinians describe Israel’s declaration of independence. 1948Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee during the war. On the Founding of Israel.
Israel disputes the claim that it expelled the Palestinians and recognises that period as its war of independence.
Any attempt to acknowledge anti-Palestinian racism is seen as provoking discrimination by some in the Jewish community.
in National Post editorialShimon Kofler-Fogel, CEO of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, called the ACLA definition “one-sided in its positioning of political and historical issues that are the subject of legitimate debate.”
“Adopting APR (anti-Palestinian racism) incites discrimination against Israelis, Jews and Zionists and prevents them from expressing their views on the conflict. Simply asserting the fact that there has been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel for over 3,000 years – thus rejecting the idea that Israel is a settler-colonial state – would be considered racist under this definition.”
Majid denied those allegations.
“We should all be committed to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms,” she said.
“Attempts by a few to spread fear and misinformation about perceived anti-Palestinian racism not only hurt Palestinian and other Arab communities, but also members of many other groups who face racism and discrimination.”
Zahid’s other demands
Zahid also said earlier in July that he would step down from his role if the Liberal Party did not demonstrate progress on two foreign policy areas.
She called on the Canadian government to recognize a Palestinian state and also called on the Canadian government to take steps to prevent the conflict from spreading further into Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border.
It is unclear whether the federal government will grant statehood.
When asked by CBC News Thursday if there had been any movement on the matter or concerns about de-escalating the war, Zahid said simply that he would continue to advocate for these causes.
On Friday, the day after Zahid spoke to CBC News, the federal government Joint statement issued by New Zealand and AustraliaHe reiterated his call for a ceasefire.
It also said “further hostilities put tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli civilians at risk” and warned that “a larger war would have dire consequences for Israel and Lebanon.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office declined to comment on Zahid’s threat to resign from his role as commissioner.
A spokesman for Trudeau said Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly’s office was best placed to respond to requests about the Gaza war.
CBC News has reached out to Jolly’s office and is awaiting a response.
