Racism in Zion

Fuelled by the racist rhetoric of politicians and religious leaders, violence toward African asylum seekers is on the rise in Israel.

These are difficult times to be a liberal Zionist Jew. Time has forced many to come to terms with the realities of the nationalist, right-wing domination of Israeli politics and the lack of any progress in peacemaking. Yes, there is the occasional bright spot in this darkness, such as the fact that, last week, the Israeli government agreed for the first time to put a female reform rabbi on the state payroll, breaking the monopoly of the orthodox rabbinate. But the darkness is more pervasive than the light, it seems, and any satisfaction one could take from that bit of liberalization was swept away by the recognition that right-wing nationalism, Israeli style, is racist to the core.

The Commons: Whatever Dean Del Mastro did, somebody somewhere probably did something worse

The Scene. “Mr. Speaker,” Liberal MP Scott Andrews declared, “there is no more denying the facts.”

Apparently fun time was over. Our reckoning, or at least someone’s reckoning, was at hand.

“The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is under active and serious investigations by Elections Canada for election fraud,” Mr. Andrews reported. “How can the Conservative member for Peterborough conduct himself as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and hold his position on the ethics committee while he is being investigated for breaking the rules at Elections Canada?”

NDP mounts unusual filibuster in closed-door Public Accounts Committee probe into F-35 fighter jets

PARLIAMENT HILL—The NDP is mounting an unusual and likely unprecedented filibuster behind the closed doors of a Commons committee inquiry into Canada’s controversial acquisition of 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets because of the government’s refusal to hear more witnesses and its desire to shut the hearings down before the House adjourns for the summer in two weeks.

The standoff, which a Conservative MP confirmed along with opposition members of the House Public Accounts Committee, could force a resumption of the inquiry in September, despite the federal government’s desire to shut the hearings down now after hearing only seven hours of witness testimony.

Montreal Grand Prix met with clashes and nudity in streets

Hundreds of protesters spilled into downtown Montreal on Thursday night, many of them naked or barely clothed, as police used stun grenades and truncheons to prevent them from confronting Formula One parties.

Unlike the last week or so of the city's regular nightly demonstrations, which police largely left to their own devices, Thursday's protests were repelled by riot officers whenever they neared sensitive areas.

Those zones included Crescent Street and Peel Street, where fans of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix auto race were sipping cocktails amid parked Lamborghinis, and in the city's St. Henri neighbourhood, where about 300 protesters attempted to crash a Formula One gala for race teams and officials.

Harper’s refusal to help bail out Europe draws Germany’s ire

Germany is expressing its irritation with Canada for refusing to contribute to an international bailout fund as Prime Minister Stephen Harper faces increased pressure from the G20 to show “solidarity” with countries tackling Europe’s financial crisis.

Canada is on track to be one of the few G20 nations not offering a specific amount to the International Monetary Fund as it tries to raise at least $430-billion to draw on in case any members need a financial rescue.

But Mr. Harper isn’t budging as he carves out an agenda directly opposite to those of the high-debt governments of Europe. He chose Davos earlier this year to announce a long-term economic plan that includes raising the eligibility age for Old Age Security, partly to contrast Canada with the generous but unaffordable entitlement programs that are partly to blame for the trouble in Europe.

Blue helmets cast aside, Canada keeps the peace no more

Once pre-eminent among peacekeeping nations with thousands of “blue berets” deployed around the world, Canada now ranks 53 – between Paraguay and Slovakia – on the United Nations contributors’ list with less than a schoolbus-load of Canadian soldiers serving on UN missions overseas.

Since then 1990s, successive Canadian governments, both Conservative and Liberal, have shunned traditional UN-mandated peacekeeping for U.S.-led war-fighting missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya. Those campaigns have eclipsed the UN as Ottawa’s favoured military expeditionary effort. From being the top contributor in the early 1990s, the Canadian commitment dropped precipitously from thousands, to hundreds a decade ago to only a few dozen in recent years.

Pride Toronto gets city funding — with a warning about ‘Israeli apartheid’ activists

Parceled with a threat from the deputy mayor, city council has voted to once again give funding to Pride Toronto.

In a unanimous vote Thursday, councillors approved a grant of roughly $124,000, which is about 8 per cent of Pride’s $1.6 million budget. As part of the compromise, councillors also voted to condemn the term “Israeli apartheid.”

“Next year, I’ll be the first guy out to say ‘no funding ever’” if any politically charged groups cause problems, cautioned deputy mayor Doug Holyday.

Quebec student strike: Daughter of MNA Amir Khadir arrested

MONTREAL—In a roundup of alleged mischief-makers linked to Montreal’s long-running student strike, police on Thursday arrested the daughter of Amir Khadir, a prominent left-wing Quebec politician who was arrested two days before.

The early morning operation came on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, an extremely lucrative tourist event for the city. Politicians and officials have been concerned about protesters who’ve promised to disrupt that event and others this summer.

Yalda Machouf-Khadir, 19, was arrested at the home of her parents in Montreal’s trendy Plateau Mont-Royal district. A sign near the door reads: “When injustice becomes the law, resistance becomes a duty.”

Del Mastro has to go: Tory attack dog urged to quit over election expense probe

OTTAWA — The Tory MP who normally leads the party’s defence on accusations of dirty electoral tricks was again forced on the defensive Thursday after opposition critics called on Dean Del Mastro to step down.

Elections Canada is looking into whether the Peterborough, Ont., MP broke election spending laws in connection with voter-contact calls made by his campaign in 2008.

Del Mastro has been the main Conservative point man in defending the party against allegations of voter suppression in one Ontario riding during the 2011 campaign.

Senator to Harper Government: Stop 'Slandering' Charities

Over the last few weeks the government has been intent on slandering charities and their foreign funders. Ministers have even publicly labelled foreign donors as "radicals," and the Canadian charities that receive their donations, "money launderers."

As directors of charitable organizations hold their ground, and as the Conservative hit list continues to grow, one has to ask the question that no one seems willing to ask -- what about the Fraser Institute? Further, why does the government seem intent on labelling one section of foreign donors as radicals but not another? If the government is actually concerned about foreign donors influencing public opinion, shouldn't they be worried about ALL foreign donors?