JOHN IBBITSON Some Liberal MPs are concerned by the debate under way within the upper reaches of the federal government over whether Canada should tilt its Middle East foreign policy in favour of Israel.

Carolyn Parrish, that perpetual gadfly in the Liberal caucus, reportedly raised the issue with Prime Minister Paul Martin during yesterday's caucus meeting. She received a stony non-answer in response. Ms. Parrish is not alone. Some Liberals are worried that any shift in Canada's Mideast policy could jeopardize their chances in the next general election. Others promote a more pro-Israeli line for exactly the same reasons.

According to Statistics Canada, 348,000 people, or 1 per cent of this country's population, identify themselves as Jews. But just as they make a disproportionate contribution to the arts, sciences and business, so, too, Jews exert significant influence on Canadian political discourse.
It is fair to say that Canada's historically strong support for the state of Israel is influenced by the efforts of the Canadian Jewish community on Israel's behalf.

When asked about their ethnicity, 347,000 Canadians identify themselves as Arabs, almost the same number as those who identify as Jews.

(When the question is posed in terms of religion, 580,000 Canadians
identify themselves as Muslim, compared to 330,000 who consider
themselves Jewish.) Historically, however, Muslim or Arab Canadians are less affluent, less organized and less influential than their Jewish counterparts.

But that could be changing. Recent events have galvanized and
politicized the Canadian Arab and Muslim populations. Bill C-35,
Canada's anti-terrorism legislation, is seen by many as unfriendly to Canadian Arabs, who are more likely to be targeted for profiling by customs officers, police and the security services. Canadian Arabs were particularly incensed by Ottawa's failure to protect Maher Arar from deportation to Syria by the U.S. government, a move that led to months
of torture.

 

 

Many Muslim Canadians are also deeply unhappy with the Liberal government's efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Any pronounced shift in favour of Israel over the Palestinians could rebound on Liberals in ridings with large Muslim populations, who
traditionally vote Liberal. (It is the genius of that party to be able to attract the lion's share of both the Jewish and Arab vote.) For
example, Roy Cullen (Etobicoke North) has a significant Muslim constituency in his suburban Toronto riding. When it comes to Mideast policy, he prefers to see Canada continue its traditional role of honest
broker.

"I'm not aware of any change in policy, and I'm not sure it would be a wise move," he said in an interview yesterday. International Trade Minister Jim Peterson, on the other hand, has long argued for an open debate about Canada's current Mideast policy and
whether it needs to be changed. There also happens to be a significant Jewish population in his Willowdale riding.

As to whether a possible shift is on the table, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew had this to say: "Canada's policy remains anchored in our support for international law and our desire to play a constructive role in support of all parties' efforts to reach a fair and lasting settlement of their dispute." You can parse that one for yourself.

The Conservative Party generally takes a pro-Israeli stand in Mideast affairs. The NDP essentially mirrors the Liberal position, although some detect a pro-Arab bias in its platform. The problem for all political
parties is that satisfying the militants on either side of the debate is impossible without surrendering all sense of balance.

If the Liberals do decide to shift toward a more pro-Israeli stance, they may succeed in shoring up support among the Jewish constituency.

The question they must ask is what price they might pay among the
growing Muslim community as a result.