The past year has seen a series of incidents which highlight the Toronto District School Board’s compulsion to muzzle Palestinian perspectives.  In this episode, Tom, Michael and long-time TDSB equity veteran Tim McCaskell explore several shocking instances of anti-Palestinian racism – from the 1980s to present day.  What is the TDSB’s decades-long history of silencing Palestinian voices, what is behind it, and how can it be countered?   

Links from this podcast:

• Article by Desmond Cole on Anti-Palestinian Racism in the TDSB
• CJPME’s Letter to the TDSB on Anti-Palestinian Racism
• Statement from high school students on their walk-out against anti-Palestinian racism

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Muslim Awareness Week (MAW) is a yearly week of solidarity and exchange where people are invited to learn about the achievements, contributions, aspirations and concerns of Quebecers of Muslim faith.  This year’s MAW marks the five-year anniversary of the tragic shooting on January 29, 2017 in a Quebec City mosque which left six Muslim-Canadians dead, and the first commemoration since the federal government reserved January 29 as a national day of remembrance and action against Islamophobia.  Today, long-time Quebec anti-Islamophobia activist Ehab Lotayef joins the conversation as we discuss what has and hasn’t changed in the last five years, and the ongoing need for MAW.

Links from this podcast:

• Website for Muslim Awareness Week

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Desmond Tutu dedicated much of his life to the abolition of Apartheid in South Africa, but he was also a consistent campaigner against injustice everywhere, including in Palestine. Following his passing in December, Western leaders celebrated Tutu’s life, but largely ignored this aspect of his legacy.  Rev. Robert Assaly of Canadian Friends of Sabeel joins the conversation today as we talk about Desmond Tutu’s lifetime of solidarity with the Palestinians, and his willingness to talk openly about the glaring parallels between Apartheid in South Africa and Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians. 

Links from this podcast:

• Desmond Tutu’s 2014 Column in Ha’aretz, This Is My Plea to the People of Israel
• Tributes to Desmond Tutu from Palestinian Leaders
• Links for Sabeel and Canadian Friends of Sabeel

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While Palestinians, solidarity activists, and academics have been accurately describing Israel as an “Apartheid” state for many years, the number of prominent organizations and public figures willing to use this terminology increased dramatically in 2021. Will this trend continue in 2022? And what is Apartheid, anyway?

Links from this podcast:

• Who is talking about Israeli Apartheid? (CJPME resource)

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2021 was a busy year for people involved in Palestine solidarity work in Canada and around the world. Tom and Michael discuss their picks for the worst and best moments of the past year, from Israel’s war on Gaza, to Canadian politicians calling for sanctions on Israel, and the growing popularity of the “Apartheid” word. 

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One year ago, Canada announced that it was purchasing a drone from Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems. Since then, more than 12,000 Canadians have spoken out against the contract, but the government has not responded to their concerns. In this episode, Tom and Michael discuss the campaign to Stop the Elbit Drone purchase. Why does Canada want this drone, and how does this purchase contribute to Israel’s oppression of Palestinians?

Links from this podcast:

• Stop Elbit Drone campaign
• Myths and Facts about Canada’s Israeli drone contract
• AFSC research on Elbit
• Who Profits research on Elbit

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Why is it so hard to talk about Palestine in federal politics? In this episode, Tom and Michael are joined by former NDP Deputy-Leader Libby Davies, who was a trailblazer in speaking out for Palestinian rights during her 18 years as a member of Parliament. We first ask Davies how, based in Vancouver, she initially developed a concern for Palestinian human rights. We’ll then learn from Davies about what it was like raising the issue of Palestine on Parliament Hill, especially during the Harper era, and how the political landscape has changed over time.  

Links from this podcast:

• “Outside In: A Political Memoir” by Libby Davies

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As this year’s round of voting at the United Nations comes to a close, Michael and Tom critique Canada’s voting on resolutions related to Palestinian human rights. They also discuss recent bizarre comments by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly regarding Canada’s UN voting, funding for Palestine refugees, and Israel’s attacks on human rights defenders in Palestine. Why is Canada so dedicated to protecting Israel from criticism?

Links from this podcast:

• CJPME’s UN Dashboard
• CJPME’s Letter to Minister Joly 
• Statement by Palestinian Canadian Organizations
• Graphic comparing UN votes by Harper and Trudeau

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• CJPME Applauds CAUT for Opposing IHRA, Supporting Academic Freedom on Palestine
• NoIHRA campaign resources from IJV
• Full text of CAUT Motion opposing IHRA
• University of Toronto Working Group Report
• CJN article about the Jewish Faculty Network

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In this episode, we recap the alarming series of events that occurred after TDSB educator Javier Davila shared anti-oppression resources about Palestinians with other educators in the Toronto school system. The saga began in May of this year, when the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians sparked mass demonstrations in Canada, and ended this week with TDSB trustees voting to reject a report on anti-Palestinian discrimination. Davila sought to help Toronto educators address the contentious issues within their diverse classrooms, but not everyone welcomed an open and transparent discussion.  

Links from this podcast:

• Javier Davila’s Explanation of the work of a Student Equity Program Advisor in the TDSB 
• Report of the Integrity Commissioner following an independent investigation into social media comments by Trustee Alexandra Lulka
• Legal fundraiser for Javier Davila

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