CIJA holds National Assembly reception in Quebec City

A Jewish community delegation poses outside the National Assembly before a reception it hosted for MNAs and their staff.
A Jewish community delegation poses outside the National Assembly before a reception it hosted for MNAs and their staff

Several senior cabinet ministers, Parti Québécois Leader Pierre Karl Péladeau and Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault were among the elected officials that attended the Quebec branch of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ (CIJA) annual wine and cheese reception at the National Assembly on Nov. 17.

CIJA Quebec chair Eric Maldoff, Federation CJA first vice-president David Amiel, and Association of Jewish Day Schools president Eric Laxer were among the Jewish community leaders hosting.

There were also representatives of the Jewish Chamber of Commerce (JCC), federation agencies such as Ometz, along with Hillel, and Canadian friends organizations of Israeli universities

An open invitation was made to not only MNAs from all parties, but also their staff and political attachés.

“Meaningful conversation and connections were made,” said CIJA spokesperson Eta Yudin. “We have received positive feedback.”

The visit included a private meeting with D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David Birnbaum.

The vice-consul of France, Yann Deret, and Israeli Consul General Ziv Nevo Kulman also attended, and solidarity was expressed with the people of France and condolences extended to the families of the victims of the Paris attacks.

While primarily a social event, the CIJA delegation did raise several issues of concern to the Jewish community, not the least being the threat of radical Islam and terrorism, and how to maintain security.

“There are a number of bills we are currently involved in with a view to protecting the quality of life of our community,” Yudin said. “We have presented briefs on Bill 54 on improving protection of animals, as the issue of shchitah came under scrutiny… We continue to make the case with MNAs that shchitah as performed in Quebec conforms with the guidelines of the humane treatment of animals.”

Yudin said CIJA also presented a brief on Bill 59, which deals with hate speech, of which it was critical.

“While it has been redrafted, we remain concerned about the vague definition of hate speech contained in the new proposal.”

She said CIJA is now evaluating the potential impact of Bill 56, an act to reform the guidelines for lobbyists in Quebec, as well as Bill 62, an act to foster adherence to state religious neutrality. The proposed legislation provides a framework for religious accommodation requests.

Other topics of discussion were social housing and potential trade partnerships between Quebec and Israel.

Among the ministers at the reception were Finance Minister Carlos Leitao, International Relations Minister Christine St. Pierre, Culture and Communications Minister Hélène David, and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Pierre Arcand. Speaker Jacques Chagnon was also there.

The reception was a chance for the politicians to meet three young CIJA Quebec parliamentary interns working in MNA offices this year.

In addition, the delegation included community “ambassadors,” young professionals who have completed a program co-sponsored by CIJA and the JCC that instructs them in “how to be the Jew in the room.” They represent the community at political and cultural events in the province.

Yet another community initiative is the Chai internship, a joint initiative of Hillel and CIJA, designed to train student leaders in advocacy, and some of its graduates were at the event, too.