27 years ago the federal NDP snubbed Lynn Jones and the African Nova Scotian community, and today leader Jagmeet SIngh came to the North End public library to apologize for that slight on behalf of his party.
Press release: “An EKOS survey commissioned by IJV Canada in 2018 shows that the Canadian Jewish community is significantly split on the issue of Israel and antisemitism. It reveals, for example, that 60% of Canadian Jews agree with the statement “Accusations of antisemitism are often used to silence legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies.”
A cowardly Human Rights Commission has rescinded the award Rana Zaman received last week after it was aleged that she is antisemitic. Rana is rightly critical of Israeli policies towards Palestine, but antisemitic she isn’t.
Judy Haiven asks a good question: How can it be that an officially nominated federal candidate gets dragged through the mud; is accused of writing anti-semitic tweets; is then turfed from being a candidate for the NDP – yet wins the most prestigious Human Rights Award in Nova Scotia?
Kendall Worth: “I just want to say that I have known Christine Saulnier for the past 10 years or more. I, and others who know Christine, would be very proud to have Christine represent Halifax as my MP in Ottawa if elected.”
I am curious about how grassroots activism intersects with traditional politics, so with a federal election coming up I figured I do a couple of interviews with candidates, and ask my questions.
Here is the first interview, with Betsy MacDonald, who is running for the NDP in Central Nova. We talked with her about Boat Harbour, poverty, climate change, how activism shapes her views, and what to do about the many challenges people face in rural Nova Scotia.
Media release: “A previous nomination meeting on May 1 selected Rana Zaman as the party’s candidate. However on June 20 the federal party removed Ms. Zaman from the candidacy after it emerged that she had written several tweets in August 2018 critical of Israel’s shootings of thousands of unarmed Gazans in the “Great March of Return.”
Media release: Carl Gannon Jr, a former national president of the Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees (UVAE), is today announcing his intention to seek the NDP nomination in Sackville– Preston–Chezzetcook.
Judy Haiven on the federal NDP decision that Rana Zaman can no longer run for the party in Dartmouth. “Israel’s actual slaughter and wounding of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are considered less blameworthy than the words of those, like Zaman, who condemn it.”
The federal New Democratic Party has removed noted Halifax activist Rana Zaman from the party’s candidacy in the Dartmouth – Cole Harbour riding, which she won on May 1 by a vote of party members. The ostensible reason for her removal is several tweets that Zaman made in August 2018 when Israeli forces were shooting thousands of unarmed Gazans during the “Great March of Return.”