Although a majority of Canadians were horrified to learn of Hamas’ surprise attack and bombing against Israeli citizens over the weekend, several prominent Canadians issued public statements that either justified or downplayed the violence.
Among those who spoke candidly about their support were union leaders, media, left-wing politicians and university professors.
True North has compiled a list of six prominent examples.
CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn
CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn, who made headlines in late September for counter-protesting parents in Ottawa and Toronto, is now under scrutiny for his stance on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Hahn liked an anti-Israel post on X, formerly Twitter, from McMaster CUPE 3906 and he shared a Facebook post expressing support for a Palestinian phrase commonly acknowledged as calling for the destruction of Israel.
In his social media activity, Hahn went further by liking posts that characterized support for Israel as immoral and branding the Israeli government as a “far-right racist extremist government.”
CBC director of journalistic standards George Achi
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was criticized by Jewish advocacy organizations for refusing to refer to Hamas militants perpetrating violence in Israel as “terrorists.”
Despite the Canadian government’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization, the CBC’s director of journalistic standards and public trust, George Achi, instructed the broadcaster’s journalists not to use the term “terrorists” when covering the conflict, according to a leaked memo.
Liberal senior legal affairs advisor Brandon Montour
A senior advisor to a Liberal cabinet minister, Brandon Montour, is facing criticism for sharing an Instagram post that endorsed Palestinian “revolutionary violence” and included hashtags advocating the destruction of Israel.
Montour, listed as a senior legal affairs advisor to Liberal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, shared a post supporting Palestinian liberation through “whatever means necessary.”
Wilfrid Laurier social work professor Jessica Hutchison
A Wilfrid Laurier University social work professor, Jessica Hutchison, has stirred controversy with her response to the recent Hamas attacks that led to the tragic loss of hundreds of Jewish lives.
Rather than condemning the murders, Hutchison urged her colleagues at Laurier to “include support for Palestinians who are taking their land back” in daily land acknowledgments.
NDP MP Leah Gazan
NDP MP Leah Gazan is facing criticism for sharing a troubling stance on the recent attacks in Israel.
Gazan retweeted a thread by an X account that expressed disdain for labeling the attacks as “terrorism.” The thread argued that this characterization was being used to justify so-called “Israeli violence” despite the fact that Hamas initiated the attack against the Middle Eastern nation without provocation.
Moments later, Gazan retweeted her own leader, who referred to the same attacks as terrorism.
CUPE Local 3906
CUPE Local 3906, a labour union representing faculty at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, sparked controversy by justifying Hamas’ horrific attack against Israel this weekend.
The union posted a message on the social media platform, X, praising the terrorist organization’s so-called “resistance” against Israel.
This statement immediately drew backlash among many who saw it as an endorsement of the ongoing violence and terrorism, given Hamas’ well-documented involvement in rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and its role as an internationally designated terrorist entity.
The official account of the union has since removed the post from its public profile.
