"I appreciate that the article highlights how the BC conservatives want to protect institutions that promote Israeli ethnic cleansing and genocide under the guise of opposing anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, those protesting genocide are deemed “terrorists” and therefore fall outside the purview of the law. There is no mention of anti-Palestinian racism or Islamophobia"
Dear Tyee editorial newsroom,
I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) concerning your article “The BC Conservative Platform: A Road Map to the 1950s.”
I would like to thank your team for your in-depth piece focusing on the BC Conservative Party’s original policy declaration (the Nanaimo declaration), in the context of the party’s recent unravelling.
Although the Nanaimo declaration dressed itself up in the language of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, both the document’s statements and omissions reveal a political agenda far from supportive of equal rights for all.
I appreciate that the article highlights how the BC conservatives want to protect institutions that promote Israeli ethnic cleansing and genocide under the guise of opposing anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, those protesting genocide are deemed “terrorists” and therefore fall outside the purview of the law. There is no mention of anti-Palestinian racism or Islamophobia.
Teachers, a traditional whipping boy for the right, come up for special mention. The BC Teachers’ Federation’s well-received material on the genocide in Gaza is ”biased,” presumably because it has not received a stamp of approval of those supporting the genocide. A Conservative ministry would censor such material. So much for free speech.
Thanks to The Tyee for this informative article. Whether the competing egos in the BC Conservative Party achieve further splintering or reconciliation, it should be clear that their values are far from those that will encourage a healthy and equitable British Columbia.
Sincerely
Tim McCaskell