{"id":23555,"date":"2017-03-31T06:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=23555"},"modified":"2017-04-04T10:59:35","modified_gmt":"2017-04-04T17:59:35","slug":"b-c-ndp-leader-talks-with-ji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2017\/03\/31\/b-c-ndp-leader-talks-with-ji\/","title":{"rendered":"B.C. NDP leader talks with JI"},"content":{"rendered":"

B.C. NDP leader John Horgan (photo from B.C. NDP)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Horgan says he likes how British Columbians have come together across racial and religious differences during recent times of strife. In a wide-ranging interview with the Independent<\/em>, the New Democratic party leader also promised to restore the B.C. Human Rights Commission, said he would like to see religious studies in the school curriculum, expressed opposition to boycotts against Israel and said ethnocultural groups play an important role in the delivery of social services.<\/p>\n

Horgan, the provincial opposition leader who hopes to be premier of British Columbia after the May 9 election, said that public reactions to antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents recently have been encouraging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been seeing \u2026 is an unprecedented coming together of diverse groups \u2013 ethnic and people of faith \u2013 to support each other, whether it be [after] the horrific shootings in Quebec City or the threats of bombings here in the Lower Mainland,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen people crossing traditional faith boundaries to embrace one another and that gives me great hope and optimism for the future here in B.C. When I look south of the border to the rise of hatred, antisemitism, Islamophobia \u2013 and without it being brought into check by the leadership, at least the executive branch of the United States \u2013 I\u2019m absolutely concerned about that. But I think the advantage for us here in Canada and in B.C. is it gives us an opportunity to reaffirm our tolerance. I\u2019ve been quite moved by it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaders, he said, have a role not only in legislating but in expressing attitudes that should exemplify the values of the community they serve. \u201cThe broader public often criticize politicians for participating in ethnic celebrations or ceremonies,\u201d he said. But he believes it sends a crucial message about respect for multicultural and faith communities, so he attends Chanukah menorah lightings at the legislature and Kristallnacht commemorations, as well as events of many other communities.<\/p>\n

Horgan said there must be a means for people who believe their human rights have been violated to seek redress and a body to spearhead education about human rights. An NDP government, he said, would re-establish the Human Rights Commission that the B.C. Liberals dismantled in 2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery other jurisdiction in the country has a commission for educational purposes, for bringing forward examples of human rights abuses, and I don\u2019t know why British Columbia wouldn\u2019t have that opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Also on the education front, Horgan said he would like to discuss with stakeholders the potential for adding religious studies to the B.C. school curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a student of history, I have a master\u2019s degree in history and I look back as much as I look forward in terms of shaping my personal views,\u201d he said. \u201cI would see some benefit to having part of the curriculum have a religious studies component in the middle school or high school curriculum.\u201d It might not be a mandatory course and he would seek consultation with school boards, teachers, parent advisory committees and others, but, he said, the idea has come up repeatedly in conversations with members of different religious communities.<\/p>\n

Governments partner with community agencies to ensure culturally sensitive and appropriate delivery of services such as addiction, settlement and immigration and seniors\u2019 programs, and this is something Horgan strongly favours.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just ethnocultural and faith-based organizations,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s community organizations. In my world, the role of government is to try to unite and bring people together whenever possible and foster understanding and tolerance. You don\u2019t do that by not having discussions or relationships with various organizations, you do that by stimulating that participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providing culturally appropriate foods for patients in the medical system is a small example of accommodation, Horgan said, but one that has been made more difficult by the outsourcing of food services in the health-care system.<\/p>\n

On the security front, Horgan supports the $100,000 the province recently announced in funding for Jewish community security, though he would have done it differently had he been premier, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime we can improve security for any community, I would support that,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to take shots of the government in this interview but, for me, I would have reached across the floor and said to my counterparts, were I in the premier\u2019s office, this is something that we\u2019re going to do, can we have a resolution of the legislature to make this cross partisan lines, rather than making it a statement of, \u2018the Liberals are doing this and the NDP or Greens or Conservatives are not.\u2019 But, beyond that, I support it, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horgan said he personally opposes the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, but he\u2019ll let party members have their own opinions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn these issues, as a provincial leader, what I try to do is allow people to have their point of view. I don\u2019t necessarily have to agree with them,\u201d he said, adding that foreign affairs is a federal matter. \u201cI hold fast to the hope that our federal government, which has diplomatic responsibility for these issues, will show leadership that divestment and sanctions are not a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI believe in a two-state solution to the challenges in the Middle East and that\u2019s a personal view and I\u2019ll share that with anyone who asks me. But I try in my interactions with various community members to focus on how do we provide unity here in British Columbia. I look at, just as an example, the sanctions on Cuba. They\u2019re not comparable, I appreciate that, but it is an attempt to have a state outcome in another jurisdiction based on economic pressure, and all that\u2019s happened as a result of that is increased poverty and a lack of understanding. I think we want to reduce poverty wherever possible and increase understanding and, by cutting ties, severing relationships, you\u2019re never going to achieve that. My approach, personally, is always to engage rather than disengage, so I think the BDS movement is not something I support, but people have their own personal will. They can choose to invest their resources wherever they want to.\u2026 My own personal view \u2026 is that reducing interactions never leads to a better understanding, it leads to less understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horgan noted he has met with several organizations in the Jewish community on issues around economic cooperation and trade with Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited about the prospects of increasing our ability in British Columbia to take advantage of the cultural linkages we have to grow stronger economic linkages,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As British Columbians ponder their electoral choices, Horgan said he wants Jewish voters to know that \u201cwhat they want for themselves and their community I want for them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a tenet of social democracy,\u201d he said, paraphrasing J.S. Woodsworth, an early leader of the Canadian left, who said, \u201cWhat we desire for ourselves, we wish for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a tenet of the Jewish faith and that is something that I think those who have not looked to the NDP in the past may want to do so in the coming election campaign,\u201d he said. \u201cI want growth and prosperity for our communities, I want tolerance and peace and understanding \u2013 and those are the issues that I think most British Columbians want, regardless of their faith. I believe that if we focus on the mainstream values that unite us, rather than the issues that divide us, we\u2019ll all be better off here.\u2026 My answer is to lead by example and to highlight always tolerance and welcoming and cooperation over intolerance, hate and division.\u201d<\/p>\n

The <\/em>Jewish Independent\u2019s provincial election coverage continues with interviews with other candidates in future issues.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note: This article has been edited to reflect that the B.C. government allocated $100,000 for security measures in the Jewish community.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

B.C. NDP leader John Horgan (photo from B.C. NDP) Horgan says he likes how British Columbians have come together across racial and religious differences during recent times of strife. In a wide-ranging interview with the Independent, the New Democratic party leader also promised to restore the B.C. Human Rights Commission, said he would like to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6888,3076,4689,4330,6887,446,3597,2945],"class_list":["post-23555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-bc-ndp","tag-education","tag-election","tag-israel","tag-john-horgan","tag-multiculturalism","tag-politics","tag-security"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}