Statement from La’ad Canada on the appointment of Hassan Yussuff to the Senate of Canada.
On June 22nd it was announced that past President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Hassan Yussuff had been appointed as an independent Senator. During his time with the CLC Mr. Yussuff authored a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, calling on him to oppose the adoption of the International Holocaust Remebrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism — citing concerns that it would conflate criticism of the policies of the State of Israel with antisemitism — and expressing support for the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Leaving aside the absurdly incorrect characterization of the IHRA definition, Mr. Yussuff remains free to hold personal beliefs contrary to Canadian values. However, as a member of Canada’s Senate he must act in accordance with established government policies and positions which include both the formal adoption of the IHRA definition (June 25th, 2019) and Parliament’s explicit rejection of the BDS movement (February 22, 2016.)
According to a study commissioned by La’ad Canada and conducted by nationally respected polling firm Campaign Research, roughly half of Canadians who support BDS acknowledge that even if Israel were to make the major concessions asked of it by the movement — including giving away much of its ancestral Jewish land, and acknowledging a Palestinian right of return — they would still support additional boycotts. If there is nothing that Israel can do to appease its critics, one must ask what exactly motivates their hatred for the world’s only Jewish state. As a representative of the Senate, Mr. Yussuff would do well to ask himself that question.
For additional information contact:
Sam Eskenasi
Director of Advocacy
sam@laadcanada.com
Fast Facts:
- On June 25th, 2019 the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Pablo Rodriguez, announced that the Government of Canada is furthering their efforts to combat antisemitism in Canada by formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism as a part of its new anti-racism strategy.
- A motion to explicitly reject the BDS movement was adopted by the House of Commons on February 22nd 2016 by a vote of 229 to 51.
- Former Justice Minister and current Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism Irwin Cotler has stated repeatedly that the IHRA definition was created not only to help identify antisemitism but to allow clear room for criticism of the State of Israel and its actions.
- The IHRA definition is the culmination of years of work on the topic of antisemitism by over 50 countries, dozens of parliamentarians from across the globe and numerous experts and non-governmental organizations.
- To date, 26 countries and countless jurisdictions, NGOs and corporations have formally adopted the IHRA definition.
- The IHRA definition itself does not mention Israel at all; it is only mentioned in a section of theoretical examples designed to assist in detecting antisemitism with regards to Israel, such as blaming Jews as a whole for the actions of the State of Israel or accusing Israel of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
- The fact that almost half of those who support a boycott of Israel would do so even if Israel complied with all of the BDS movement’s demands begs the question of what motivates these individuals.