Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a curious selection in choosing members of his so-called panel on antisemitism. The eight-member Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion has a primary task of looking at the causes and possible solutions to the wave of antisemitic hatred that has swept this country since Oct. 7, 2023.
Carney mouthed some platitudes in a speech to Holy Blossom synagogue in Toronto last week. When you parse the membership of his newly announced group, it raises questions about their exact goal.
There’s an odd juxtaposition in the statement announcing the new panel. The headline reads: Prime Minister Carney highlights new measures to combat antisemitism and support Canada’s Jewish community. It went on to name eight members: Marc Gold, Martine Roy, Catriona Le May Doan, Omar Alghabra, PC; Gary LaPlante, Dr. Aftab Erfan and Aynish Nanda. Gold is the only Jewish member of the group.
A quote on the PM’s website says the council has “a clear mission to combat racism and hate in all their forms and to guide the Government of Canada as we build a fairer, more just and inclusive country.” So, is it a group fighting antisemitism specifically? Or hate in all its forms?
Nanda, an Edmonton lawyer, is representing two Palestinian students and a University of Alberta professor who have filed a Charter challenge against the university for having police forcibly remove the People’s University for Palestine encampment in 2024. Alghabra, a former cabinet minister, appeared at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Parliament Hill, wearing a Palestinian scarf.
Others in the group include a gay rights advocate and a Metis activist. It’s unclear why Le May Doan, a former speed skater, is an expert on antisemitism. This seems an odd mix of people to study Jew hatred. It would make more sense to have members of the Jewish community who could speak to their lived experiences of antisemitism. Instead, we have at least two who seem more concerned with the rights of Palestinians.
We would never be cynical or impertinent enough to suggest there’s anything biased about Carney’s picks. Far from it. It could well be that this is nothing more than a make-work project to reward a random group of people with plum appointments. What a relief that would be.
