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November 14, 2004 SPECIAL ACTION ALERT PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE AND THEN TAKE THE ACTION OUTLINED BELOW. Sample Letter included. Nov 10, 2004 - CJN By: Diane Koven http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=4798 PM reaffirms support of Israel OTTAWA – In a showcase of support last week for Israel and Canadian Jewry, nearly 1,000 people attended the inaugural parliamentary dinner of the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA). Prime Minister Paul Martin assured the assembled group that Canada supports Israel. “Canada will not, nor will we ever, waiver in our support for Israel,” he said. “We believe strongly, incontrovertibly, in Israel’s right to defend itself against those who would destroy it.” He mentioned he had earlier telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to congratulate him on the preceding week’s successful vote in the Knesset authorizing Israel’s unilateral withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Martin expressed support for the plan. “Sharon’s plan for Gaza, in my view, will enhance Israel’s security and lead in the direction of peace,” he said. Both Martin and Opposition leader Stephen Harper jokingly pointed out how the CIJA dinner was able to bring together the leaders and many representative of all four federal political parties. Hershell Ezrin, CIJA’s chief executive officer, estimated that from 150 to 160 parliamentarians – MPs and senators – attended the dinner and said he thought that “there were more members of Parliament involved in our event than in any other event in Ottawa except for the opening of the House.” The dinner was the celebratory culmination of a two-day conference in Ottawa called Democracy in Action. The conference was effectively the launch of CIJA, the Jewish community’s national umbrella advocacy and educational agency formed earlier in the year. Hundreds of participants were part of the large contingent that participated in the two-day conference. Coming from across Canada, the participants, including members of the CIJA-Public Affairs Committee, an independent membership-based organization promoting involvement in the Canadian democratic process, descended on the nation’s capital for hands-on training in the fundamentals of participatory democracy and political activism. The conference included meetings with members of parliament and government officials, a reception with Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Alan Baker, and an address by noted British historian Sir Martin Gilbert. Speakers at the parliamentary dinner emphasized the common democratic values shared by Canada and Israel. Harper referred to the Jewish state as a “model of democratic engagement” in which the “values of democracy are defended heroically every single day.” The dinner featured a special tribute to former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard, former Ontario premiers Mike Harris and Bob Rae, and former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin. The former provincial premiers were honoured and recognized by CIJA “for their steadfast support for Israel and enduring friendship to the Jewish community.” Steven Cummings, co-chair of CIJA, said that “these were two extraordinary days in which the Jewish community came of age in engaging as Canadians in the political process. It is imperative for the community to be involved in order to ensure the quality of life for themselves and all Canadians.” In his keynote address, journalist and CBC broadcaster Rex Murphy stated that “the fact that the goals and ideals of democracy are maintained in Israel is a beacon in itself.” He expressed amazement at the seeming ease with which any catastrophe in the world can be blamed on Israel. “This is all code for a real old story that every person in this room knows better than I.” According to Ezrin, the purpose of the conference was three-fold: to explain to participants about the new advocacy structure of CIJA; to establish new relationships with parliamentarians; and to communicate issues of concern and interest to the Jewish community. “I think we were able to have an impact in all of those areas,” he said. CIJA co-chair Brent Belzberg enthused over the broad community participation in the conference. “The Jewish community through CIJA was able to communicate one on one with politicians throughout the day and 550 people from across the country were given that opportunity. Our politicians were available, beyond that which anyone might have expected.” Lawrence Hart, national president of Maccabi Canada and the chair of the community relations committee of the Canada Israel Committee was “impressed with the enormous scope and depth of the conference,” which he said “eloquently demonstrated the community’s commitment to and involvement in the political process of our country.” CIJA oversees advocacy and educational initiatives for its constituent organizations: Canadian Jewish Congress, Canada-Israel Committee, Quebec Israel Committee and National Jewish Campus Life. CIJA is supported through the United Israel Appeal Federated Communities by federations and regional communities across Canada. ACTION: It is clear from this article that the Council of Israel
and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) is a lobby group. The last paragraph
of the article states that CIJA receives its funding from the United
Israel Appeal. UIA is a registered charitable organization
in Canada. As such, it is not supposed to engage in lobby work
but is clearly doing so by diverting some of its funds to
CIJA. A visit to the Revenue Canada website http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities/menu-e.html indicates
that one of the United Israel Appeal's goals is to "support
resettlement of new immigrants" to Israel. It is well
known that immigration to Israel is being encouraged by the Israeli
government in order to expand the illegal settlements.
Please write to the John McCallum, the
Minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency requesting that the
charitable status of the United Israel Appeal be revoked on the grounds
that it is funding lobbying activities and supporting Israeli
settlements which are illegal according to International Law.
Please note that
letters sent through the mail carry more weight with the government.
You can write postage free to: Hon. John McCallum,
Minister of National Revenue House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
PLEASE bcc your e-mail to bcc@canpalnet-ottawa.org
SAMPLE LETTER Dear Minister McCallum: You will find below a copy of an article from the Canadian Jewish News that describes a lobbying event that took place in Ottawa recently. It was organized by Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA). The last paragraph of the article states that CIJA receives its funding from the United Israel Appeal. UIA is a registered charitable organization in Canada. As such, it is not supposed to engage in lobby work but is clearly doing so by diverting some of its funds to CIJA. Further investigation via a visit to Revenue Canada’s own website indicates that one of the United Israel Appeal's goals is to "support resettlement of new immigrants" to Israel. It is well known that immigration to Israel is being encouraged by the Israeli government in order to expand the illegal settlements in the West Bank. The July decision by the International Court of Justice states that “all states party to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949, have in addition the obligation, while respecting the United Nations Charter and international law, to ensure compliance by Israel with international humanitarian law as embodied in that convention.” The charitable status of the United Israel Appeal should be revoked, both on the basis of Canada’s own laws and International Law. Yours truly, Linda Belanger Ottawa, ON Cc: Rheal Dorval, Assistant Director, CRA Elizabeth Tromp, Director General, CRA Fair
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