Halifax Media Co-op

News from Nova Scotia's Grassroots

More independent news:
Do you want free independent news delivered weekly? sign up now
Can you support independent journalists with $5? donate today!

Fredericton postal worker’s trip to Palestine smeared by Conservative MP

by Tracy Glynn

Armed checkpoints and roadblocks are part of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The checkpoints restrict the travel of Palestinians between cities and towns. Photo by Ruth Breen.
Armed checkpoints and roadblocks are part of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The checkpoints restrict the travel of Palestinians between cities and towns. Photo by Ruth Breen.

Fredericton – Conservative MP Mark Adler for the Toronto riding of York Centre accused Fredericton postal worker Ruth Breen and her union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), of using public funds to pay for her trip to the occupied West Bank in Parliament’s Question Period on March 5th. A brief account of Breen’s trip appeared in the union’s newsletter, The Rose.

Adler said, “Mr. Speaker, constituents from my riding have brought to my attention the latest propagandist newsletter issued by the radical Canadian Union of Postal Workers to its members. This radical political pamphlet outlines Fredericton local member Ruth Breen’s trip to Israel using public funds, while at the same time accusing Canada of committing war crimes through its support for Israel.”

Adler then asked the Minister responsible for Canada Post, Steven Fletcher, to respond. Minister Fletcher’s response: “Mr. Speaker, what the member has raised is awful. Using public funds for radical political trips is wrong. CUPW should apologize for this misuse of public funds and its anti-Israeli rhetoric. Will the Leader of the Opposition continue to support his big union bosses and their radical political views, or will he stand with taxpayers and demand an apology for the misuse of these public funds and to the state of Israel?” The Leader of the Opposition did not respond.

According to Breen, Adler is ill-informed. “I traveled to the West Bank on Atlantic Regional I International Solidarity Funds. I did not travel to the West Bank with public funds as Adler is alleging,” says Breen.

Breen says she is perplexed by Adler’s strong reaction to the use of “war crime” to describe Israel’s actions. She points to information found on federal government websites that support her assertion that Israel is committing war crimes.

Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip). The Fourth Geneva Convention applies in the occupied territories and establishes Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, in particular with respect to the humane treatment of the inhabitants of the occupied territories. As referred to in UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The settlements also constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

….

Canada opposes Israel’s construction of the barrier inside the West Bank and East Jerusalem which are occupied territories. This construction is contrary to international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Canada not only opposes Israel’s construction of a barrier extending into the occupied territories, but also expropriations and the demolition of houses and economic infrastructure carried out for this purpose.

Adler’s attack comes at a time when the Conservatives are attempting to pass Bill C-377 (an amendment to the Income Tax Act) through Senate. The Bill attempts to destroy the ability of unions to do political activity. Union leaders say that Bill C-377 is partly about countering political work that is unpopular with the Harper Conservative agenda; this includes Palestine solidarity work.

The Harper government has declared that there is no better friend to Israel than Canada. Canada was the first country in the world, before Israel, to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority following the election of the Hamas party in January 2006. Harper has referred to the illegal settlement blocks in the occupied territories as “democratic realities.” The Canadian government dropped Israel and the U.S. from a list of countries suspected of using torture in 2008.

“What I saw, heard, and felt in Occupied Palestine was not the narrative we hear Stephen Harper parroting — that Israel is only exercising its right to defend itself.  I saw home demolitions, water denied, settlements encroaching on Palestinian land, displacement of peaceful farmers and a wall that in no way can be considered anything other than a prison wall, forcing an entire nation of people to exist in an open sky prison,” says Breen.

Cabinet Ministers have come out on swinging on the side of Israel in early March. Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued a statement against the ninth annual Israeli Apartheid Week. John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking at the annual conference of  the most powerful pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S., the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, threatened to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority if it took Israel to International Criminal Court over building settlements on the occupied lands.

Days after MP Adler attacked Breen and the postal workers for their November trip to the West Bank with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, he tweeted on March 8th that he had “great time at the CJPAC action party in Toronto.” CJPAC is the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee.

Established in late 2005, just ahead of the federal election that brought Harper to power in January 2006, CJPAC is a lobby group that aims to strengthen Canada-Israel’s relationship and boasts having relationships with all three political parties in Canada. The Harper government, Liberal Opposition in 2008 and NDP Opposition in 2012 did not condemn Israel’s offensives on Gaza that killed 1,400 in 2008 and 170 in 2012.

This article originally appeared in the New Brunswick Media Co-op.


Socialize:
Want more grassroots coverage?
Join the Media Co-op today.
860 words

Comments

Fredericton postal worker's trip to Palestine smeared

The attacks continue. Two birds with one stone. Not only is the government swaying public opinion concerning Israel/palestine through CJPAC, but they are using mainstream media to depict our union as radical and using "public funds" against the will of the people, which is what Bill C-377 is trying to thwart. I have spent quite a bit of time on this file, and I can tell you, that our union must fight fire with fire in regards to using media to push information to the general public. There are a great deal of untruths being put out about all unions(PSAC recently experiencing the wrath). IF we don't go public now , in a big way, right to work legislation will be a certainty, and the power of the grassroots labour movement will diminish dramatically....who's with me in the all out fight!?!? Ain't no power ,like the power of the people,cause the power of the people won't stop!!

The Conservative party is

The Conservative party is sounding more and more like a CULT!

Awesome blog

Awesome blog. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work. Hope to read another amazing blog posting from your end.
bus to cameron highlands

The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.