|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
From: Campbell Robertson March 9, 2005 Prime Minister Paul Martin House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister: At least eight members of your Cabinet are members of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel. At least 50% of your Cabinet Committee on Global Affairs are members of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel. This allegiance of Canadian Cabinet Ministers to a foreign country, in particular to a country in violation of the Geneva Convention, is unacceptable. The Government of Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes to make way for the ever- expanding Israeli settlements, the settlement roads and the wall - all within the Palestinian territories. Israel's continuing practice of moving its people into the occupied territories is against the Geneva Convention. Since you became Prime Minister, you have moved away from Canada's traditional honest broker role in the Palestine/Israel conflict. You even refused to vote for a United Nations resolution, in support of the International Court of Justice decision to oppose the wall being built through the Palestinian West Bank, dividing Palestinian communities and making medical services and education difficult to obtain for many Palestinians. The presence of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel within your Cabinet seems to be closely connected with your shift away from a fair policy. Our Cabinet Ministers should be for Canada rather than act as lobbyists for a foreign government. Please take the necessary steps so that Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel are no longer in Cabinet. Looking forward to a return to a fair and just foreign policy, From: Ismail Zayid,MD. President, Canada Palestine Association. March 6, 2005. The Right Hon. Mr. Paul Martin MP. Prime Minister. Dear Mr. Martin: It has always been our belief that when we elect our members of Parliament, we elect them in the service of our country, Canada, and not for a foreign state. Thus, we are perplexed that a number of Liberal parliamentarians, many of whom are members of the cabinet, are telling us that they are "Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel." Surely, that is alien to our national values, and we wonder if that is acceptable to you, our national leader. From: Samia Costandi (educator and Free-lance writer) March 6, 2005 Right Hon. Paul Martin Prime Minister 111 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister Martin, I cannot believe that my government would go to these lengths in its support for Israel; to support a group called Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, which includes members of your own cabinet(!), and to allow let alone encourage them to have a reception in Ottawa which brazenly waves the flag of Israel over the Canadian flag! This is an affront to us Canadians, and an unspeakable bias on the part of our government at such a delicate juncture in the history of the Palestinians and the Palestine-Israeli conflict. The Canadian Council for Israel and the Jewish Advocacy are lobby groups for another government, Israel. At a time when our Canadian government - which is supposed to represent the conscience of the world and supposed to be the leading proponent of human rights, as well as a major actor on the global scene for upholding the Geneva Conventions - we find our government siding blatantly, and in a constitutionally unacceptable manner, with an occupying force that is building a Wall of Shame ghettoizing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians! What do you people in the government think you are doing? You owe us a huge apology! Enough is enough. We have always voted liberal, but this time I will certainly not, neither will hundreds of people in my Palestinian and Arab Canadian communities who feel compromised and humiliated by the government's reneging on its duties, unless you issue an official apology to our community. The financial scandal was enough. No more scandals, please. From: Carolle Charlebois Montréal March 3, 2005 Right Hon. Paul Martin Prime Minister 111 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister Martin, What on earth possesses you and my government to allow Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, which includes members of your very own cabinet, to lobby on behalf of a foreign government – and so brazenly at that? I draw your attention to the attached invitation which indicates that Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel have teamed up with several pro-Israel lobby groups including the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy to hold a reception taking place during this week-end’s Liberal Convention in Ottawa. It is obvious that the intention of this reception is to influence Liberals and our government itself. Shockingly, it is apparent from the logo for Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel that the cabinet ministers and Liberal caucus members who belong to this lobby group, have no qualms about positioning a foreign country’s flag above our own Canadian flag - one wonders where their loyalty lies. Prime Minister, the obvious conflict of interest and brazenness of this lobby group is nothing less than an absolute outrage. I am writing to demand that you take immediate steps to have this lobby group disbanded immediately and to ensure that their March 5 reception is cancelled. If these Liberal parliamentarians want to work for a foreign country; namely Israel, I encourage them to take up citizenship and run for office in that country. I want my members of parliament and the Ministers in my government to be promoting and protecting the interests of my country…and my country only. I look forward to confirmation that Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel has been disbanded and that the March 5 reception has been cancelled. From: Greg Felton New Westminister, B.C. To: pm@pm.gc.ca Cc: Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 4:20 PM Subject: Libs for Israel reception Dear Prime Minister: I notice that the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel (a.k.a “The Little Knesset”) is having a reception. I also notice that the logo for said reception features blended Canadian and Israeli flags with Israel on top! I trust this gross insult to our national sovereignty was not entirely accidental because it clearly depicts the master-servant relationship in our foreign ministry. How nice of the Little Knesset to confess its true allegiance, if only by accident. Tell me: does this position speak for your government or only for this cabal of treasonous zealots? I look forward to your answer. From: Dennis Choptiany To: Martin.P@parl.gc.ca Cc: Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca ; Bennett.C@parl.gc.ca ; Neville.A@parl.gc.ca ; Folco.R@parl.gc.ca ; Patry.B@parl.gc.ca ; Peterson.J@parl ; Wilfert.R@parl.gc.ca ; Art Eggleton ; Joe Volpe ; Jennings.M@parl.gc.ca ; Alexa McDonough ; Jack Layton ; Libby Davies ; Ed Broadbent ; Pat Martin ; Colleen Beaumier ; McCallum.J@parl.gc.ca Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 11:22 AM Subject: Bloc for Israel ? Dear Prime Minister: I have recently leaned that a group of Liberal MP's, calling themselves the 'Liberals for Israel', are holding an event at the leadership review this weekend in Ottawa. This event is being co-sponsored by the Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, the Quebec Israel Committee, the Canadian Jewish Congress and National Jewish Campus Life. I find it repugnant that a group of parliamentarians is clearly promoting the interests of a foreign country. The fact that Israel is in violation of over 65 United Nations Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention makes the activities of this group even more questionable. Have other Liberal parliamentarians formed similar groups to promote specific ethnic cultures such as Chinese, Arab, Polish or Italian? If not, this clearly indicates that a certain segment of the Canadian population is being allocated preferential treatment within the Liberal party. Parliamentarians must devote there energy to Canadian issues and should support International Law without playing favourites. I realize that you cannot control the activities or focus of the Bloc; however, you should be able to control members of the Liberal caucus. Therefore, I ask that you will put a stop to the work of 'Liberals for Israel' and ensure that no similar groups are formed. From: Linda Belanger Ottawa To: Hon. Paul Martin Cc: Pat O'Brien ; Jack Layton ; Alexa McDonough ; Hon. Irwin Cotler ; Patry.B@parl.gc.ca ; Lee.D@parl.gc.ca ; Colleen Beaumier MP (Lib) Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 6:23 PM Subject: Liberals for Israel Dear Prime Minister: You will find attached an ad from the Liberals for Israel for an event to be held as part of the leadership review this weekend in Ottawa. I'm sure that the existence of a group of parliamentarians clearly promoting the interests of any foreign country is of great concern to many Canadians. Furthermore, the country in question here is in violation of over 65 United Nations Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Canada must support International Law without playing favourites. This event is being co-sponsored by the Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, the Quebec Israel Committee, the Canadian Jewish Congress and National Jewish Campus Life. Has a public invitation been extended to Chinese Canadians, Arab Canadians, Italian Canadians, etc. to hold events at the Liberal Leadership Review? If not, this clearly indicates that a certain segment of the Canadian population is being allocated preferential treatment at the Liberal convention. From: Clara Morgan March 3, 2005 Right Hon. Paul Martin Prime Minister 111 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister Martin, I am extremely alarmed by the increasing power that is yielded by a lobby group entitled Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, which includes members of your very own cabinet . To make things fair, we should have liberal members of parliament lobbying for each country in the world - Liberal Parliamentarians for India, Liberal Parliamentarians for Pakistan, Liberal Parliamentians for the Ukraine, Liberal Parliamentarians for the US, Liberal Parliamentarians for China, Liberal Parliamentarians for Angola, Liberal Parliamentarians for Poland and the list goes on. And, of course, we should have free trade agreements with each of these countries since their interests are extremely well represented by their respective caucuses. I know that the above may sound ridiculous but the possibilities have been historically opened up with the institutionalization of a party caucus that represents the interests of a foreign country. And there lies the danger. It is precisely because such a situation has not been deeply reflected upon nor debated that worries me. I do wonder who my government represents? Is it not supposed to represent the rights, freedoms and liberties of all Canadians? I did not vote for Israel to be my representative, I voted for you and for your party. With such a caucus group in ascendance, I fear that our parliamentary government no longer is a true reflection of our democratic freedoms and rights. The very essence of our democracy has been tarnished. The future of the parliamentary democracy we cherish is being jeopardized. I strongly urge you, Mr. Prime Minister, for the sake of posterity, to open up a public discussion and debate on the establishment of such caucuses. From: Corinne Allan To: P.M. Paul Martin Cc: Jack Layton NDP ; Ed Broadbent M.P. ; Pettigrew.P@parl.gc.ca ; Gilles Duceppe - BlocQ ; Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 12:44 AM Subject: LPFI have gone too far To Prime Minister Paul Martin CC: Hon. Pierre Pettigrew Dear Mr. Prime Minister:  Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel have crossed the line bigtime. Just recently you gave every appearance of being outraged at what you called "disrespect for our flag" when Premier Danny Williams merely lowered the Canadian flag in protest. How is it then, Mr. Prime Minister, that you remain silent when your own Liberal MPs mess with our flag in honour of Israel. And how can Canada pretend to be any kind of an honest broker with regard to the Middle East when Liberal Parliamentarians have chosen to act as silly cheerleader groupies, giving tea parties for one side in the conflict, forgetting in their zeal the whole purpose and meaning of the flag of Canada. While I realize that there are quite a few Canadian citizens who will never be as loyal to Canada as they are to Israel, our Canadian Parliamentarians should be "for" Canada, not "for" Israel or any other country, and I demand that this group be disbanded ASAP. From: Qais Ghanem To: pm@pm.gc.ca Cc: LAYTON-Jack ; Parrish-C ; Bill Casey ; McGuinty.D@parl.gc.ca Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 7:59 AM Subject: I am outraged Mr. Prime Minister: I have previously drawn you attention to the fact that senior members of your cabinet are members of the group calling itself “liberal for Israel”. Not that you did not know it already. Now I see a logo that links our Maple Leaf with the Star of David in a union that goes far beyond friendship between peoples, but clearly states that such members of your party are “for” Israel, i.e. no matter what. Would you as party leader and PM accept it, if the Health Minister and a bunch of other Liberal MPs formed a group calling itself “Liberals for India” and then designed a logo with the Indian Flag sitting on top of the Maple Leaf? Would they be objective, when dealing with the interests of Canada in a dispute between India and Pakistan? You told a group of Arabs a few weeks ago on Wellington Road to hold your feet to the fire. So, I am following your advice. But will you pay any attention to yet another issue that will further alienate you from Arab Canadians? I hope that my member of Parliament for Ottawa South will be sensitive to the feelings of the thousands of Arabs and Muslims in his riding. Your Comments |
| |