Four of the largest Jewish organizations in Canada have issued a strong joint protest against the election of Marcel Proudhon, a self-proclaimed supporter of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to the office of chairman of the Parliamentary caucus of the opposition Liberal Party in Ottawa.
The statement last Thursday by the Canada Israel Committee, B’nai B’rith Canada, the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Canadian Zionist Federation said they were “disturbed and concerned” by the election.
It described Proudhon, a member of Parliament from the St. Dennis district of Montreal, as a person “who has befriended and publicly supported the PLO over many years” and “a man whose views are at odds with his party’s stated policies on the Arab-Israel conflict and the PLO.”
Former Prime Minister John Turner, leader of the Liberal Party which has a large Jewish constituency, said he respected the democratic process which elected Proudhon to his high position in the party. Nevertheless, he added, Proudhon will have to adjust his views to those of the majority in Parliament.
Proudhon has visited PLO headquarters in various parts of the Middle East. He boasts of his personal friendship with PLO chief Yasir Arafat and has called for the creation of a Palestinian state.
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