Wally Daudrich condemns rising Jew-hatred in Manitoba and across Canada, calls for action

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Winnipeg, MB — PC Manitoba leadership candidate Wally Daudrich’s recent email to supporters, addressing the alarming rise in violence and vandalism targeting Canada’s Jewish community, has sparked widespread praise and reflection. His message follows several shocking incidents, including a firebombing of a synagogue and Jewish elementary school in Montreal earlier this month, and gunfire targeting a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto — both repeat attacks.

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Closer to home, Winnipeg has witnessed large demonstrations against Jews, an anti-Jewish encampment at the University of Manitoba, and vandalism of Jewish-owned property.

“These acts have been perpetrated under the guise of being anti-Israel or, more obliquely, anti-Zionist,” Daudrich wrote. “But when Jewish houses of worship are burned, Jewish schools are shot at, Jewish homes vandalized or covered with graffiti, and visibly Jewish men, women, and children are harassed, and even beaten, in the streets, the anti-Israel fig leaf is torn away, and the activity is exposed for what it really is: Jew-hatred.”

He pointed to a demonstration held in a Jewish neighbourhood in Winnipeg on Yom Kippur, a sacred day of fasting and prayer, asking, “How else do you explain a mass ‘anti-Israel’ demonstration organized in a Jewish neighbourhood… when Jews — not Israelis, but Jews — are simply fasting and praying as they have done for millennia?”

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Daudrich proposed a clear path forward. While rejecting new laws, he emphasized strict enforcement of existing ones to combat incitement and violence. “When demonstrators chant ‘death to the Jews,’ the leaders of such chants should be arrested and prosecuted, not because they hate Jews, but because they are inciting violence against Jews,” he wrote.

Daudrich also called for holding material and financial supporters of such acts accountable and advocated for breaking up illegal occupations on public land. Moreover, he criticized Canada’s immigration system for failing to vet prospective immigrants properly, stating, “Living in Canada is a privilege, not a right… Anyone who comes here and fails to respect our laws and traditions should be placed on the next plane back to the homeland they obviously prefer.”

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Concluding with a message of unity, Daudrich reminded Manitobans of their shared values and traditions. “This year Christmas coincided with the first night of the Jewish festival of Chanukah. As we gather with our families to enjoy the season, let’s take a minute to remember that Jesus himself was a Jew. Let’s commit to standing shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish neighbours. To ‘Never again,’ let us add, ‘You are not alone.”

Daudrich’s strong words and clear stance have resonated widely, with many Manitobans applauding his willingness to address a difficult issue head-on.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca

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