Canada to deal harshly with those who boycott Israel

In line with being the most enthusiastically pro-Israel government in the world, Ottawa is now bidding to become the world's most anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) government, too, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.

Following a series of statements by cabinet ministers pledging vigilance against the country's many pro-BDS groups (mainly aligned with churches, universities and unions), the spokeswoman for Canada's chief law enforcement official pointed out to CBC recently that the country has some of the toughest laws against "hate crime" on earth.

It was the latest statement from the government promising a crackdown on the BDS movement, which includes university groups, churches and labor unions.

In January, then-foreign minister John Baird signed a protocol with Israel pledging to fight BDS, which he called "the new face of anti-Semitism."

Shortly afterward, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, in an address at the United Nations, characterized boycotts of Israel as anti-Semitic hate speech and violence, comparing them to the murderous attacks at Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket that had just taken place.

Blaney said Canada would take a policy of "zero tolerance" toward the BDS movement, a statement that has been echoed by other cabinet ministers.

BDS supporters in Canada include the United Church of Canada, Canadian Quakers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), various university groups and Independent Jewish Voices, which is the chief organizer of pro-BDS activity in Canada.