By Joel Goldenberg and Suburban Staff
The Suburban

The Liberals and NDP co sponsored a motion in the house of commons calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and a halt in arms exports to Israel. The government has in fact halted arms sales to Israel for its defence. Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather, Ben Carr and Marco Mendicino were the only Liberals to vote against. The Conservatives unanimously opposed the motion. Housefather said he felt isolated and that the revised motion was too hurriedly passed. After this event Housefather began a period of self-reflection.

The Trudeau government, currently low in the polls, has also gone through a series of scandals in recent years, regarding ethics issues on the part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the SNC Lavalin judicial interference affair, the WE charity scandal, the alienation of India after a disastrous visit, the revelation Trudeau wore blackface as a teen and as an adult, the $60 million dollar overspending on an APP (arrivescan) where people who did no work received cheques for an App that malfunctioned, and, most recently, revelations about the government’s lack of action regarding Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Housefather said that the NDP-Liberal motion overwhelmingly passed in March “was a blow not only to me but to many within the Jewish community. It followed a wave of antisemitism across the world that over the last five months has left many Canadian Jews feeling bewildered and intimidated and fearful for their future in this country.” The MP added that he heard from thousands of constituents and that his feelings about the resolution “are widely shared,” including by “many Jewish Canadians who have previously voted Liberal, who have been particularly impacted by the events of the last five months. But notwithstanding his anger over the NDP-Liberal resolution he decided to stay in the Liberal party.

The community reacted:

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) reacted, posting, “Anthony has long been a determined voice for the Jewish community and his decision to stay in the Liberal caucus is one we hope will result in meaningful action on the part of the Government of Canada to address the toxic levels of hatred towards Jews and the Jewish state that have infected Canadian society.”

But Housefather’s decision has been a source of some criticism and debate in his riding. Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi, who has been publicly pushing for Housefather to cross the floor to the Conservatives, says that while he agrees with the goals for Canada in Housefather’s statement, “…it seems these aspirations better resonate with Conservative values rather than contemporary Liberal ideals. Anthony, an industrious MP, undoubtedly prioritizes his constituents. Nonetheless, I find the optimism surrounding Anthony’s task somewhat unrealistic in achieving success. I’d rather be represented by a party currently aligned with these values, instead of attempting to sway the views of the Liberals. The fact that the Liberal party previously ignored Anthony raises the question: what has prompted a change now?”

Mount Royal constituent Dan Vigderhous addressed Housefather on social media, posting, “I’ve always voted Liberal, and having you as the MP made it even easier. But you’ve been kicked around, insulted and disrespected by Trudeau. He is reactive instead of proactive. The thought of losing the strongest Liberal riding in the country is obviously what spurred him to placate you.”

Community activist Joannie Tansky commented that, “…as a Jew, nothing in the Liberal Party aligns with Anthony Housefather’s professed love of Israel. Nor does it align with Quebec Anglos who Anthony also professes to love, who were tossed under the bus by Justin.”

Former Mount Royal Conservative riding president Jeff Joseph had this to say: “Anthony ultimately acted in the best interests of himself. Ultimately, he will have to defend the interests of his party and NDP coalition partner to voters. Best of luck.”

CSL city councillor Lior Azerrad said, “All the community leaders are going to represent the interests of our community and the interests of Canada. Each of us must choose for ourselves where we stand and whom we stand next to.” n