CIJA, CJPAC educate community on Jewish election issues

Sara Lefton

The topic of genetic discrimination apparently spurred the most discussion at an event designed to inform Jewish voters about pertinent political issues in the lead-up to the federal election.

Of issues discussed, this seemed the least understood and, perhaps for that reason, the most talked about, said Sara Lefton, a co-presenter at the event and vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) in the GTA.

Hosted Aug. 26 at the Lipa Green Centre by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC), the event was two-pronged: it featured Lefton outlining political issues CIJA has flagged as being important to Jewish Canadians and Jaime Reich, director of outreach and programming at CJPAC, listing practical ways community members can get involved in the political process.

The organizations held a similar event the previous day at the downtown law firm Dentons to attract young professionals working in the city core. 

Lefton said both events drew about 50 people, with Dentons attendees being mostly in their 30s and 40s and Lipa Green attendees in their 50s and older.

Media were barred from both, a decision the organizers made to ensure participants felt comfortable asking questions and engaging in discussion, Lefton told The CJN.

She said she briefed the attendees on issues CIJA has deemed priority files, but she stressed not all the issues raised pertain to the election per se and that CIJA is non-partisan. The conversation didn’t touch much on party policies, she noted, but was more about people asking for clarification on issues.

In addition to genetic discrimination, they included Canada maintaining pressure on Iran; bilateral trade between Canada and Israel; and infrastructure changes for community security. 

Lefton said her explanation of the genetic discrimination file had  “shock value.”

She explained to the group that under current Canadian law, an individual who undergoes genetic testing can be compelled to disclose the test results to employers and insurance companies. Because disclosure of a genetic illness or a predisposition to one can result in being denied a job or having insurance coverage turned down, people often avoid testing, putting themselves at risk, Lefton said.

“This doesn’t just impact the Jewish community, but many of our community members are affected by [genetic diseases], and when people hear this is happening in Canada, they often get fired up.”

She said CIJA is prioritizing this issue: this fall, it’s launching a campaign to educate MPs and push for legislation banning genetic discrimination.

Many people in the audience were also concerned about the recent Iranian nuclear deal, Lefton said, and she encouraged them to pressure Ottawa to support nuclear non-proliferation and maintain sanctions against Iran.

On the issue of Canada-Israel trade, she explained the two countries first signed a trade agreement in the late 1990s and expanded it more recently. Whichever party forms the next government should be urged to further expand this agreement and to lead a trade mission to Israel, she said.

Regarding community security, she said she briefed the audience on the current government grant program, which allows at-risk communities to apply for grants that cover 50 per cent of improvements, up to $100,000, to a building’s external security infrastructure. 

Lefton said the Jewish community has been the main beneficiary of the program and encouraged attendees to push for an expanded one that allows for internal security improvements and provides more funding. “Some of these institutions have had to put a lot of money into changes to make sure people are safe,” she said.

A representative from CJPAC told The CJN that Jaime Reich subsequently spoke on behalf of CJPAC. She discussed how volunteers are essential to any campaign – that even a few hours can make a difference – as well as some of the roles one can expect to have on a campaign. Reich also encouraged community members to contact CJPAC so that they can be connected with the party or campaign of their choice.