TORONTO – The latest pleas for action by (CIJA) the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (“This motion must be stopped” This Week in Canadian Jewish Advocacy, www.cija.ca) is yet another signal that Israel is losing the public relations war in Gaza, and that the Jewish Diaspora may be its most significant victim. With few isolated exceptions, before October 8, 2023, the Diaspora could count on Western society’s virtually unconditional support for the State of Israel as a Jewish state. The events since then have been testing that “bond”.
There is no dignity in war: only murder, mayhem, suffering, survival (hopefully) and “profit” for “some one”. Like so many of my generation, militarism was an integral part our family tradition. Typical European young men were conscripted (pressed) into military service whether the government of the day/era was democratic or not; whether there was peace or war.
TORONTO – Patrick Brown, whose mother and wife are both Italian, is the Mayor of Brampton and, until the middle of the night between June 5 and June 6, also a candidate for the Conservative Party leadership.
Via his lawyers at Henein Hutchison LLP, Patrick Brown formally served notice of intention to appeal the decision by the “Dispute Resolutions Appeals Committee”, Chaired by Don Nightingale, that he (Brown) be disqualified from the Party’s leadership race.
The Party accepted the recommendation. Presumably, his entrance fee of $350,000 will not be refunded to him. From a “practical, logistical” point of view, his approximately 150,000 members who paid their $15 each to join the Party in support of his candidacy are also out of luck. The party will keep the approximately two and a quarter million dollars.
The sources of those funds may be at the centre of the controversy that led to “the investigation” and to his dismissal. No one knows for sure. Walid Soliman, a lawyer, is the Finance Chair of the Brown for Leader campaign.
Heinen Hutchison LLP rejects any allusions to or allegations of impropriety by Patrick Brown or his team. They emphasize: “To be clear, Mr. Brown has engaged in absolutely no misconduct.”
Moreover, they point to the process’ unfairness towards their client. They admonish the Appeals Committee, through Don Nightingale (Chief Returning Officer) for its “refusal to specify the allegations grounding [its] recommendation…”. They add that Patrick Brown “refuted the paltry information [the Appeals Committee] provided and repeatedly asked for particulars.”
On that topic, in an interview on Radio 1010, June 6, Party president Robert Batherson appeared to suggest that his organization had made efforts to resolve issues but that everyone was concerned about the allegations (not proven) and the criminal charges that could be laid once Elections Canada would complete its investigation.
When pressed on the numbers pro and con on the Appeals Committee, Mr. Batherson declined to confirm or deny the alleged votes registered on the dismissal recommendation (11 for, 6 against, and 6 abstentions). He preferred instead to say the matter was now in the hands of Elections Canada, and there is no way to remedy the situation now.
Heinen Hutchison LLP saw the entire process as “Kafkaesque”, “politically motivated” and with a “preordained result”. They served a second letter, a Litigation Hold, to Ian Brodie, Chair of the leadership Election Organizing Committee, advising him and anyone else associated with the decision to prepare and preserve all communications in any platform they may have been a party to in respect of Mr. Brown.
It may be easy to forget that there are five other candidates still in the race and that there are another 530,000 other membership forms that the Party must vet before the vote two months from now.
Meanwhile, all indications suggest Patrick Brown will re-offer for as Mayor of Brampton.
Corriere was unable due to print deadlines to effect a direct interview with the mayor or his Finance Chair.
In the pics above, the letters (EXCLUSIVE CORRIERE CANADESE)
TORONTO – The current educational “vision” statement of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), judging from the March 24, 2022, Board meeting, is devoid of school or Catholic issues. Whether the Board can survive after this provincial election requires an act of faith not supported by “the debate” offered last Thursday. If you have children in the system, you will have to reassess why.
OTTAWA – “To the Ukrainians who are defending the values we hold dear, we stand with you—not only in our words, but also in our actions. Canada will offer safe haven to your families while you fight on the front lines of a war to defend your freedom to the benefit of the entire world”: with these words, Sean Fraser (in the pic, from his Twitter profile), Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced today the launch of the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET). The CUAET is a special, accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians seeking safe haven in Canada while the war in their home country continues.
