Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, December 05, 2013

There is no Jewish vote for Stephen Harper to court

So Prime Minister Stephen Harper is going to Israel next month. That’s nice. Apparently, according to the media, who are indulging their love for stereotyping, that’s what it takes to make the Jews of Canada vote for him.

Harper will be visiting Jordan on the same trip, but I don’t hear the media saying he is courting Canadian-Jordanians. I guess we Canadian Jews are a homogeneous lot. We all think alike, all 385,000 of us, and we are such a simple-minded people, that just one issue matters to all of us when we vote — and that is where politicians stand on Israel.

Writing in the National Post, columnist John Ivison said Harper’s visit “is designed to seal the deal between a substantial part of the Jewish community in Canada and the Conservative party.” Ivison also said that Canada’s relationship with Israel has deepened during Harper’s years in power, “in part because the Conservatives were trying to woo the Jewish vote. A number of seats in and around Toronto have swung to the Tories, thanks to the strong alignment with Israel.”

Ivison added that the Liberals have tried to win back the Jewish vote, with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau visiting a Toronto synagogue last week “to announce his backing for Israel and to condemn the Quebec charter of values as an attack on minorities, including Jews.”

Where to begin parsing this mishmash of assumptions, which is typical of what’s been appearing in the media? First of all, Justin Trudeau’s condemnation of the Quebec charter isn’t exclusively an appeal to Jews. It should ring true with anyone who cares about individual freedoms, and that category crosses all ethnic lines. It just so happens that one of the more ludicrous proposals in the charter was a ban on kosher and halal food served to Jewish and Muslim children in Quebec daycares. I guess Premier Pauline Marois and her minions think those children have been deprived of the joys of ham sandwiches long enough, but this proposal should be universally condemned.

Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau support Israel because it’s the right thing to do. Their support cannot be dismissed as a cynical ploy for votes. If they support Israel for no more substantial reason than that they think it will garner them the Jewish vote, then they aren’t very bright and neither of them is worth voting for. Besides, there is no Jewish vote. Letter writer Sydney Nestel said it best in the Toronto Star: “The Jewish community is not monolithic and many, probably most, of Toronto’s Jews do not support Stephen Harper.”

Harper has spoken out consistently against anti-Semitism. That, however, has not stopped him from criticizing the Israeli government for its plans for more settlements. Harper’s support for Israel is exactly as it should be, and for all the right reasons. But the pundits need to get it straight — Canadian Jews do not necessarily vote with Israel at the top of the agenda.

As much as I care about Israel, when I go to the polls, I’m thinking about which party is more closely aligned with my views on domestic issues — health care, the economy, the environment, etc. I appreciate Harper’s support for Israel, but I’m not happy with his record on the environment. I appreciate Trudeau’s support for Israel, but I’m strongly opposed to the legalization of marijuana.

News flash to the media: People of British origin are not the only Canadians who demonstrate individuality, and diversity of thought. Those of us who belong to ethnic groups are not a homogeneous bloc, nor are we so simplistic as to say, “Gee, the prime minister is going to Israel. That’s it, he’s got my vote! No further thought needed.”

Pundits, give minorities a little credit for having some intelligence, OK? Otherwise, please address the dilemma facing us for the 2015 federal election. Trudeau and Harper will have both visited Israel, and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s in-laws are Holocaust survivors, making him in his own words, “an ardent supporter of Israel in all instances and circumstances.”

Everyone’s for Israel? Oh dear, we Jews will never be able to figure out whom to vote for now.

Original Article
Source: calgaryherald.com
Author:  Naomi Lakritz

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