NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson asked the Liberals and Conservatives why there were not talking about the killing of Palestinian children, but the question remains is the NDP consistently talking about the need to “talk” about the need for Israel to stop killing Palestine’s children.
This is a letter sent to the four NDP members of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group (CAIL) to ask if they are talking to CAIL about the killing of Palestinian children.
October 27, 2022
Sent to:
to:
Gord Johns, gord.johns@parl.gc.ca,
Randall Garrison, randall.garrison@parl.gc.ca,
Lisa Marie Barron, lisamarie.barron@parl.gc.ca,
Bonita Zarrillo, bonita.zarrillo@parl.gc.ca
cc:
Jagmeet Singh Jagmeet.Singh@ndp.ca,
Heather.McPherson@ndp.ca
Dear New Democratic Party (NDP) members of Canada Israel Interparliamentary Group (CAIL)
Recently you received over 500 letters regarding the Israeli military killing of six children during October 2022.
On Tuesday, NDP critic for foreign affairs, Heather McPherson spoke in Parliament about the need to speak about the killing of Palestinian children.
We would hope that you would be asking this question, as well as representing the NDP 13 point plan regarding Palestine at the Canada Israel Interparliamentary Group (CAIL). Indication has been from at least one NDP member that you are there to provide an alternate voice to CAIL. We are asking you what that alternate voice is saying, and if we can expect any concrete actions in support of the 13 points from CAIL. We remind you also specifically of point 10 which reads “Condemn military detention of Palestinian children, and reaffirm support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
40 organizations along with dozens of individuals with significant ties to the party, including former NDP MPs Svend Robinson and Jim Manly.
have recently called for the NDP to withdraw its membership from CAIL. Since then you will have received at least 1200 letters in this regard.
Four years ago 200 prominent musicians, academics, trade unionists and NDP members released “A Call for the NDP to Withdraw from the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group”.
We ask you, are you willing to ask CAIL to condemn the Israeli military’s killing of children? Are you willing to ask CAIL to condemn the illegal detention of children under military law?
Sincerely,
Karen Rodman
Just Peace Advocates
with the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
