As Canada's largest provincial public workers union remains tight-lipped over an employee's social media posts professing love for Adolf Hitler, a nearly decade-old call to action by a Canadian Jewish advocacy group brings the union's hiring practices under further scrutiny.
In 2017, B'nai Brith Canada posted a call to McMaster University to condemn members of a campus pro-Palestinian group making social media posts praising Nazi Germany leader Hitler — including the same tweets that put OPSEU campaign officer Rawan Qaddoura under an uncomfortable microscope this week.
Alleged Tweets Resurface
In a story this week, the Toronto Sun highlighted Qaddoura's alleged tweets, which included a January 2012 post that read: “I honestly wish I was born at the time of the Second World War just to see the genius, Hitler, at work,” as well as a second post six months later saying “Every time I read about Hitler, I fall in love all over again.” A third tweet from August 2013 quoted a post from a now-deleted account saying, “The whole world is controlled by Zionist Jews and until you understand that, life will never make sense.”
Other posts made by members of the McMaster Palestinian group include comments like “Adolf Hitler; if you had taken them all, the world would have a lot less problems right now” and “Hitler was on to something #SorryNotSorry.”
Aside from the B'nai Brith Canada post, the posts allegedly by Qaddoura were also archived by antisemitism watchdog Canary Mission, and were likewise easily findable via a quick Google search.
OPSEU Sends Memo About Social Media Policies
Opportunities for comment to the Sun for both Qaddoura and OPSEU went unacknowledged, and a Wednesday morning Queen's Park press conference held by OPSEU president JP Hornick made no mention of the allegations. While OPSEU won't comment publicly on Qaddoura's employment status, sources told the Sun officials are hesitant to terminate her owing to her prominent position in the union's Worth Fighting For campaign targeting the Ford government's Bill 124.
An internal company memo from OPSEU human resources head Shazia Tarar acknowledged the Sun's reporting and maintained that the union doesn't tolerate hate, discrimination or harassment. The memo, a copy of which was viewed by the Sun, also reminded employees to watch what they say online. “Employees are reminded to use social media responsibly and in accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO directives,” the memo read, while also asking employees to not speak with reporters if approached. No mention of Qaddoura or her employment status was included in the memo.
In January 2024, Jewish OPSEU members sent a letter to Hornick expressing concern over the appearance of OPSEU flags at a Toronto anti-Israel rally where participants chanted support for the Iranian-backed Houthis — a terrorist group whose slogan is “God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
Reaction to Tweets and OPSEU Silence
Reaction to Qaddoura's tweets — and OPSEU's silence — have made waves on social media all week. Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told the Sun the situation proves that antisemitism has been normalized in Canada. “It is absolutely outrageous that she was not suspended immediately over these racist Nazi praises,” Haskel said. “I'm not surprised, because in times where violence and hatred towards Jews in Canada is exploding, politicians, media and unions are choosing to stay silent, and by that are legitimizing violence and hatred,” she added.
Rachel Chertkoff, of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said the issue goes beyond just one social media post, and lays bare a “massive failure of judgment” within OPSEU. “Reports of posts glorifying Hitler and promoting genocidal hatred are disgusting, disturbing and completely at odds with the values a labour union should stand for,” she said. “When something this extreme is overlooked, it sends a chilling message to Jewish members and others targeted by hate. OPSEU's leadership must now show, clearly and publicly, that extremism — whether glaring, or in ways that are more subtle — has no place in their organization.”
LiUNA Concerns Over Anti-Jewish Hatred
Victoria Mancinelli, of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA), told the Sun her union is deeply concerned over the spike in anti-Jewish hatred in Canada's labour movement. “Those institutions do not exist to advance ideology or tolerate hate — when they fail in that responsibility, when rhetoric crosses the line into discrimination or silence enables it, they willfully undermine the very principles they were built to protect,” she said, adding she finds the growing double-standards to be especially troubling. “We are seeing voices quick to condemn hate in some instances, yet hesitant, selective, or silent when it comes to antisemitism. Hate cannot be acknowledged only when it is convenient or politically aligned, it must be confronted in all its forms, without exception — because this isn't a political issue, it's a human one.”
Amir Epstein, CEO of Jewish advocacy group Tafsik, said the situation does little to assuage concerns of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli sentiment in OPSEU — the subject of an ongoing human rights complaint filed by their Jewish members over what they allege is a culture where antisemitic propaganda is openly advanced. “Nothing about their behaviour shocks us anymore, it's exactly the level of moral rot we've come to expect from a union that appears to tolerate Hitler apologists within its ranks,” Epstein said. “The fact that an employee feels so comfortable spewing Nazi Jew-hatred publicly illustrates how far the organization has fallen.”
