A new petition by a Canadian MP calls on the country’s government to initiate investigations into Canadian citizens and residents who served in the IDF and, if warranted, lay charges on them.
The petition was made by Alberta MP Heather McPherson on January 7. It is based on the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (CAHWCA), which allows “Canada to prosecute any individual present in Canada for crimes listed in the CAHWCA regardless of that individual’s nationality or where the crimes were committed.”
It also draws on the Foreign Enlistment Act, which states that “any person who, within Canada, recruits or otherwise induces any person or body of persons to enlist or to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any foreign state or other armed forces operating in that state is guilty of an offence.”
The petition claims that there is credible evidence of serious violations of international law by the IDF in the Middle East, in which Canadian citizens and/or residents have been involved.
It therefore calls on the government to investigate and even charge Canadian citizens and residents who served in the IDF. The petition also asks the government to direct the Canada Border Services Agency to screen Canadian citizens/residents returning from Israel for foreign military service and issue warnings that Canadians serving/volunteering with the IDF may face criminal liability under Canadian law.
The petition has almost 5,000 signatures so far.
It is worth noting that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched a structural investigation into the Israel-Hamas War last year, as is standard procedure, but is yet to disclose any findings relating to the conduct of Canadians who have served in the IDF.
An antisemitic witch hunt
“MP McPherson’s motion amounts to an antisemitic witch hunt,” said Simon Wolle, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, in a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “It unduly singles out Jewish and Zionist Canadians by making unfounded accusations.”
“The petition problematically insinuates that service in the IDF necessitates a degree of culpability.”
Wolle added that Canadian IDF veterans are no different than any other foreign veterans who reside in Canada and that “malicious attempts to prosecute them contribute to an environment where Jewish and Zionist Canadians are increasingly persecuted for their beliefs.”
“This petition should be denounced by MPs for what it is – a baseless attempt to incite against and ostracize Canadians who support the existence of a Jewish nation-state,” he added.