|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
JPost: Canadian police chiefs on their visit to Israel Canada, they admitted, does not combat the same high level of terrorism as Israel does, but following the events of 9/11 every western country has had to restructure its security forces and become "a little bit Israeli." Letter from the Canadian Arab Federation regarding trip to Israel by Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Gwen Boniface, Emergency Management Commissioner Julian Fantino, and representatives of the Ontario Police College. See Ontario government press release below The Hon. Dalton McGuinty Premier of Ontario Rm 281, Main Legislative Building Toronto ON M7A 1A4 March 1, 2005 Dear Mr. Premier, I write to express the Canadian Arab Federation’s outrage at the visit to Israel by Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter, York Regional Police Chief Armand LaBarge, OPP Commissioner Gwen Boniface, Emergency Management Commissioner Julian Fantino, among other provincial representatives. In the words of Minister Kwinter, the trip is about “learning from and watching Israel's police service, which is widely seen as one of the world's best.” Our concerns are three-fold: What could Ontario security services possibly learn from a country that has been consistently branded an abuser of human rights by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, among others? Given the targeting and racial profiling of Arabs in Canada post 9/11, why would we subject our police chiefs to “learning” from the Israeli security establishment with its natural biases against Arabs? We question the propriety of foreign governments and groups paying for our provincial minister, police and safety chiefs to visit with them. It puts the independence and objectivity of this trip in question. Mr. Premier, it is easy to predict that the perspective our security officials will hear from Israeli police field units, border police and anti-terrorist units can only be extremely prejudicial towards Arabs. How are our communities supposed to feel towards those entrusted with their safety under such circumstances? We therefore ask that you put an immediate end to this trip. Yours truly, Omar Alghabra President Canadian Araf Federation c.c. John Tory, Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Howard Hampton, Leader of the Ontario New Democrats Khalil Ramal, MPP London Fenshaw -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monte Kwintner, who is co-chairing this trip to Israel is the founding president of the Toronto Regional Council of B'nai Brith (http://www.montekwinter.com/biography.htm) The organisations that will be sharing the costs of bringing Ontario Provincial Police to Israel are highlighted below Ontario Government Press Release Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Visit to Israel will enhance security QUEEN'S PARK, ON, Feb. 28 /CNW/ - Lessons learned by Ontario police chiefs during a six-day mission to Israel could help improve security in Ontario, says Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter. "This is a wonderful opportunity not only to look behind-the-scenes at Israeli security, policing and emergency management techniques, but also to meet with senior Israeli security officials," Kwinter said. Kwinter is co-chairing the mission to Israel with York Regional Police Chief Armand LaBarge and Joel Richler, Chair of the Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region. Other provincial representatives include Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Gwen Boniface, Emergency Management Commissioner Julian Fantino, and representatives of the Ontario Police College. While in Israel, the Ontario contingent will visit police field units,the Israeli border police, anti-terrorist units and a rehabilitation centre for injured police officers. Organizers are also arranging a meeting with officials of the Palestinian Authority. The mission will leave Canada on March 1 and return on March 8. Sharing in the cost of the trip are the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, Ontario government, Government of Israel Economic Mission to Canada and El Al Israel Airlines. For security reasons, the travel itinerary will not be announced. Disponible en français www.mpss.jus.gov.on.ca From: Campbell Robertson To: Letters@GlobeAndMail.ca Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 11:45 AM Subject: "Canadians observe Israeli security", March 8, 2005 Dear Editor: In your story, "Canadians observe Israeli security", reporter Matthew Kalman refers to Israeli "border policemen" in the West Bank city of Hebron. Hebron is several kilometres inside the Palestinian West Bank. Any Israeli officers in Hebron could have been nowhere near the Palestine/Israel border. They were therefore members of Israel's occupation force - a force that pushes Palestinians out of their homes to make way for ever-expanding Israeli settlements. Your story also raises the question of why Ontario Cabinet Minister Monte Kwinter and head of emergency response Julian Fantino are leading a group of Canadian police officers to learn control methods from Israel's occupation force. Your Comments |
| |