Correction needed to contextualize the situation in Gaza and add pro-Palestinian voices

"I insist that you add, at the very least, elements of context about the situation in Gaza, such as the ICJ ruling, Canada’s obligations under international law, and pro-Palestinian voices, to make your article balanced and for your readers to properly understand why this motion comes at such a pressing time."


March 20, 2024

To:

Marieke Walsh, Senior Political Reporter, Globe and Mail

Steven Chase, Senior Parliamentary Reporter, Globe and Mail

David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, Globe and Mail

Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Globe and Mail

Sandra E. Martin, Standards Editor, Globe and Mail

Dear Marieke Walsh, Steven Chase, David Walmsley, Robert Fife, and Sandra E. Martin,

I am writing to express my concern about the article: “MP Weighs future in Liberal Party amid fallout of House of Commons motion that Israel says will weaken its self-defence,” published on March 19 in Globe and Mail.

First, it is unfortunate that your article gives space to Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather following the vote on the NDP motion presented at the House of Commons while excluding the perspectives of the motion’s proponents.

While your article talks about the Liberal caucus, one would expect voices from other liberal MPs. One would also expect diverse voices from the Liberal caucus, such as those who voted for this motion, as Housefather, along with MPs Ben Carr and Marco Mendicino, were the only ones of the three Liberal MPs who voted against it. Housefather, Carr, and Mendicino also have pro-Israel stances, which you fail to mention.

I, therefore, ask you to give voice to the other Liberal MPs, e.g., Salma Zahid, Chandra Arya, or Sameer Zuberi – who would provide a much more powerful counterpoint.

Second, your article focuses almost solely on how this motion will affect Israel while completely obscuring Israel’s actions against Gazans, which the International Court of Justice has described as a plausible genocide, which the Canadian has a legal obligation to prevent.

You give voice to Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, saying: “The motion failed to grasp the threat Israel faces and the reason why the war is still continuing – the more than 100 hostages still held captive by Hamas.” What about the 31,923 Palestinians that Israel has killed that you fail to mention?

As of March 14, Euro-Med Monitor reports that 112,000 homes are completely destroyed, 438 schools are damaged, 175 press headquarters are destroyed or damaged, 285 healthcare facilities are destroyed, 331 healthcare professionals have been killed, 134 journalists have been killed, and 2,000 000 Palestinians have been displaced.

Citing Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at Project Ploughshares, in two paragraphs at the end of your article, who mentions Canada’s obligations under arms-control law to prevent human rights violations, does not replace the need to add pro-Palestinian voices to make your article balanced.

I insist that you add, at the very least, elements of context about the situation in Gaza, such as the ICJ ruling, Canada’s obligations under international law, and pro-Palestinian voices, to make your article balanced and for your readers to properly understand why this motion comes at such a pressing time.

I hope Globe and Mail will make these changes and be balanced in its reporting on Canadian politics related to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is unfortunate that the Globe’s coverage in the past couple of days about the NDP motion has been overwhelmingly negative and excluded the voices of Palestinians the motion’s supporters.

Sincerely,

Fatima Haidar,

Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East