Canada: December 11, 2008

Harper Honoured For Pro-Israel Stance

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper was honoured last week by a leading Jewish umbrella group for his government’s support of Israel.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations gave Harper its inaugural International Leadership Award. Thornhill MP Peter Kent, minister of state of foreign affairs (Americas), accepted the award for Harper on Dec. 3 in New York.
The group said it was expressing appreciation for Canada’s “courageous stands” on next year’s so-called Durban II anti-racism conference, which Canada became the first nation to boycott earlier this year.
It also lauded Canada’s “support for Israel and [its] efforts at the United Nations against incitement and… delegitimization, where [it has] taken a role in the forefront,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, the group’s executive vice-chairman. However, a published report said this year marks the first since Harper became prime minister in 2006 that Canada “has not incrementally shifted” its UN votes toward Israel on Mideast issues.

Judge Cleared

TORONTO — A judge who became involved in a dispute over a development in his neighbourhood will likely retain his job after the Canadian Judicial Council ruled he shouldn’t be removed for misconduct, and said it will recommend as much to the federal justice minister. In a 17-4 decision, the council overruled its own inquiry panel in the case of Ontario Superior Court Judge Ted Matlow, 68, who was fighting a development project in the Forest Hill area of Toronto. It said Matlow, a judge for 27 years, was guilty of misconduct and used “intemperate language” in criticizing the project in letters and to the media, and that he shouldn’t have acted as legal adviser to his neighbours. Matlow was ordered to write apologies to those affected by his actions, attend a seminar on judicial ethics and seek advice before entering another public debate.

Moses Gets His Way

TORONTO — Moses Znaimer, the founder of MuchMusic and Citytv, was honoured Dec. 4 when a part of Queen Street West in Toronto was renamed in his honour. The stretch of Queen, between John and Duncan streets, site of the iconic MuchMusic building, was dubbed Moses Znaimer Way in a ceremony sponsored by CTVGlobemedia and the city.