4 Jews Elected in Canada

With the impressive victory of Joe Clark’s Progressive-Conservative Party in yesterday’s election in Canada, two Jewish Liberals went down to defeat, including Defense Minister Barnett Danson, who was rejected by his York North Riding in the Toronto area. Four Jews were elected, three Liberals and a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Re-elected were Herb Gray, a former minister and the first Jew named to a Liberal Cabinet, in Windsor, and Bob Kaplan, in the Toronto Riding of York Center. Elected for the first time were David Berger, a Liberal, in Montreal, and the NDP’s David Orlikon, in Winnipeg.

The Rev. Roland de Corneille, director of the B’nai B’rith League for Human Rights, was elected by the heavy Jewish vote in the Eglinton-Lawrence Riding of Toronto on the Liberal Party ticket. Last year, he refused to accept a nomination for a by-election because the election day was on Succoth. He is an Anglican.

The only Jewish candidate on the Progressive-Conservative Party list was Sidney Spiwak, who was defeated in Winnipeg. In addition to Danson, the other Jewish Liberal incumbent defeated was Sima Holt, a former journalist, whose loss in a Central Vancouver Riding was part of the Progressive-Conservative sweep in Canada’s west. She had been the first Jewish woman elected to Parliament.

Clark, who now will replace Pierre Elliott Trudeau as Prime Minister, is five seats short of a majority in the new Parliament, and will need the NDP or the Quebec-based Social Credit Party for a majority. His promise to move the Canadian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem apparently had little influence with the large Jewish vote in Montreal and Toronto.

Two Jewish MPs, Max Saltman, a New Democrat, and Jack Marshall, a Progressive Conservative of New found land, did not seek re-election and were appointed to the Senate.