{"id":47998,"date":"2025-12-05T01:59:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T09:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=47998"},"modified":"2025-12-03T14:26:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T22:26:50","slug":"eby-touts-government-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2025\/12\/05\/eby-touts-government-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Eby touts government record"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/i>More than 18 months ago, Charlotte Kates, who is identified as the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, made inflammatory remarks at a rally in Vancouver. She celebrated the 10\/7 terror attacks by Hamas against Israel, calling them \u201cheroic and brave\u201d and led the audience in chants of \u201cLong live Oct. 7.\u201d She referred to terrorist organizations as \u201cresistance fighters\u201d and \u201cheroes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After an investigation, the Vancouver Police Department recommended charges against Kates based on Criminal Code provisions against incitement of hatred. Later last year, the federal government designated Samidoun a terrorist entity.<\/p>\n

A year-and-a-half after the police sent its report to Crown counsel, no charges have been laid. In a year-end interview with BC Premier David Eby, the Independent<\/i> asked why the attorney general has not acted to either bring charges or to explain why charges are not warranted. The premier assured the paper that he would check with the office of Attorney General Niki Sharma but his office did not respond by press time. The Independent<\/em> will continue to press the government on the matter.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
BC Premier David Eby told the Independent: \u201cWe really have tried to be a government that takes on hate and racism from all angles.\u201d (photo from BC NDP)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really troubling case and it\u2019s incredibly problematic,\u201d said Eby, adding that he is \u201creluctant to weigh in too much until I know the exact status of the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking more broadly, Eby acknowledged the message hate crime charges send to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe strongly that an example is set to the broader community when someone is arrested and prosecuted for a hate crime,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have seen some very high-profile incidents that have not met the kind of outcomes that I expect and that our government expects through the justice system. So, we\u2019ve been working with Crown and the federal government to be able to come to better results through the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eby touted his government\u2019s range of antiracism initiatives.<\/p>\n

In November, he said, the government announced a set of grants for groups targeted by hate and violence, including the Jewish community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the Jewish community has been disproportionately impacted by rising hate, they\u2019re not the only community that has been impacted by some of the international problems we\u2019ve seen [and] a rise in racism here in British Columbia,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The government has committed to so-called \u201cbubble zone\u201d legislation, which would limit the ability of protesters to access space within a designated distance around religious and cultural institutions. Eby said the legislation is being spearheaded by Sunita Dhir, member of the legislature for Vancouver-Langara and parliamentary secretary for international credentials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bubble zone concept is also in the mandate letter for Nina Krieger, the minister of public safety and solicitor general, as well as that of Sharma. A mandate letter is the direction a minister receives on appointment to cabinet outlining what the premier and the government expect them to accomplish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are working on it and we hope to be able to bring forward legislation soon,\u201d the premier said. \u201cI know it\u2019s important for the community. It will not be this session, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to security grants that address negative outcomes, Eby stressed proactive measures that confront underlying hatred and racism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really have tried to be a government that takes on hate and racism from all angles,\u201d he said, citing the introduction of mandatory Holocaust education in the Grade 10 curriculum.<\/p>\n

It is early in the process, so Eby could not comment on responses to the new curriculum, but acknowledged that many students had already been learning about the subject even before it was mandated. The fact that he has not heard of any negative outcomes around the rollout of the curriculum suggests to him that all is going to plan.<\/p>\n

Anti-bullying programs across the school system are also aimed at inculcating inclusive values in society.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our anti-bullying initiatives that we continue to support within schools, that educate students about the importance of understanding both the differences and strengths that come from our differences in this province,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately, Pink Shirt Day has somehow become controversial with the Conservatives, but not for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eby was referring to internal Conservative Party discord around the anti-bullying day, with at least one Conservative MLA accusing \u201cthe left\u201d of using the day to \u201cbully\u201d people into wearing pink shirts. Another MLA, Elenore Sturko, who was elected as a Conservative and is a lesbian, claims she was forced out of the Conservative caucus in part because of her support for Pink Shirt Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to support the idea that kids should be educated about bullying at an early age because that turns into adults who are more welcoming and understand the strength that our province draws from our diversity,\u201d said Eby.<\/p>\n

The government has also set up an antiracism hotline, partly because some people may be reluctant to go to police.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat hotline connects to community groups that are able to reach out and support people that have faced racism in the community and [are] able to respond to it,\u201d said Eby. \u201cThis provides us with information about where these problems are happening and allows us to support community groups with outreach, to be more proactive where there are hotspots of racist activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no single solution, the premier said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really is a wide array of initiatives related to this work and, unfortunately, there has been a rise in racism and it has disproportionately impacted the Jewish community,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working to make sure that we\u2019re not taking just one approach, but several approaches to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eby expressed greetings to the Jewish community at Hanukkah, acknowledging the challenges of this year and optimism for the future. It has been, he said, \u201ca very challenging year for the Jewish community and for all British Columbians who believe in a hate-free province and believe in the strength that comes from our diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am certain that 2026 and forward will be better and I sincerely hope and expect that our shared work together, between government and the Jewish community, will lead to the kind of outcomes we\u2019re looking for, which is a safe, prosperous and welcoming province for everybody.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 18 months ago, Charlotte Kates, who is identified as the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, made inflammatory remarks at a rally in Vancouver. She celebrated the 10\/7 terror attacks by Hamas against Israel, calling them \u201cheroic and brave\u201d and led the audience in chants of \u201cLong live Oct. 7.\u201d She […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24477,22919,801,23203,24476,20500,23781,21777],"class_list":["post-47998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local","tag-anti-bullying","tag-antiracism","tag-antisemitism","tag-charlotte-kates","tag-criminal-justice-system","tag-david-eby","tag-government-policy","tag-hanukkah"],"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\/47998","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=47998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47998\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}