Indeed:
Suppliers submitting bids under cabinet’s Buy Canadian program must promise not to hire foreign subcontractors, says the Department of Public Works. The new paperwork followed MPs’ complaints of numerous loopholes benefiting foreigners: “A new Declaration Form has been introduced.”
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A newly-declassified 1992 federal memo predicted Islamic extremists would attempt to bypass federal security checks by filing refugee claims in Canada. The memo to the Department of Foreign Affairs complained that refugee claimants were “extremely difficult to control.”
Internal emails obtained by National Post show that senior officials at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) had a discussion with the Palestinian representative to Canada, in which she attempted to get involved in, and was updated on, the progress of its upcoming “Nakba” exhibit, raising fresh questions about the political agendas behind the highly controversial exhibit at the publicly funded museum.
In an email dated Dec. 5, 2024, Ramsey Zeid, the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM) who has been a member of the Palestinian Content Advisory Network (PCAN) for the exhibit, wrote to Matthew Cutler, the CMHR’s vice-president of exhibitions, and Isha Khan, the museum’s CEO.
Zeid said that Mona Abuamara, who was serving as the representative of the Palestinian Delegation in Canada, would be visiting the museum on Dec. 11 for a tour and requested a meeting with staff “to discuss the Nakba exhibit.” CPAM promoted her visit on Instagram and hosted a talk by her on Dec. 10.
In his email, Zeid said that Abuamara was “keen to receive an update on the progress of the project, understand where we currently stand and explore how she might be able to assist if necessary.”
Cutler responded the next morning, writing: “Thanks for this invitation — we’re always glad to have the ambassador visit, and I know many of our team will be at the event on the 11th.” He then told Zeid that he would connect with a colleague to “ensure that one of us is able to speak with Mona during her visit about our work around sharing Palestinian human rights stories through the museum, including the exhibit.”
The Palestinian General Delegation confirmed to the Post that the meeting took place, but would not disclose what was discussed. The Palestinian General Delegation has represented the Palestinian Authority’s interests in Canada since 1995. The meeting took place nearly a year before Canada recognized a Palestinian state.
The apparent co-ordination between the museum and the Palestinian representative occurred amid repeated complaints from Jewish organizations about inadequate consultation and a lack of historical balance. And they have good reason for concern.
When the Post reached out to the CMHR back in November about Jewish groups’ concerns, its spokesperson, Amanda Gaudes, said the “exhibit is neither a historical retrospective nor an examination of the founding of the State of Israel or current Israel-Palestine relations. It is a multimedia exhibit that will use art, first-person reflections and personal artifacts to share the lived experiences of Palestinian-Canadians — these are their stories.”
Gaudes was asked for a list of people involved in its content advisory committee and was not forthcoming. Yet in March, the Post acquired a list of PCAN members from 2023, which was composed of hardened anti-Israel activists, including Zeid.
Zeid is a controversial Palestinian-Canadian activist who has made a number of alarming public statements. After the October 7 massacre in Israel, for example, he wrote that Zionism “is a disease that must be destroyed.”
Neil Oberman, a Montreal lawyer who has taken on numerous cases involving allegations of antisemitism and anti-Israel actions, said that there is a serious question as to whether the CMHR has violated its own mandate under the Museums Act, which explicitly states that its purpose is to “explore the subject of human rights, with special but not exclusive reference to Canada, in order to enhance the public’s understanding of human rights, to promote respect for others and to encourage reflection and dialogue.”
Citing Canada’s Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act, he noted that, “A foreign mission engaging openly with a Canadian institution is not, without more, unlawful. The offences target conduct that is covert, deceptive or coercive. That is why the issue turns on transparency: was this an open, disclosed exchange, or was a foreign government quietly given a hand in shaping how a national museum presents history?”
While this may not rise to the level of foreign interference, co-ordinating with a foreign government’s representative on content for a taxpayer-funded exhibit designed by a Crown corporation raises numerous ethical questions.
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