This is a disgraceful decision, not only because it abandons a democratic ally, but because it will incentivize the kind of horrific anti-Semitism and intimidation tactics that have been running rampant in Canada.
There are many reasons a government should never forget how human nature works.
One of those reasons is that ignoring human nature doesn’t make human nature go away. It only makes a government unable to respond to it.
Even worse, ignorance of human nature often leads to acting in ways that incentivizes the worst aspects of that human nature.
And that brings us to the recent move by the Liberals to halt arms sales to Israel, as reported by John Ivison in the National Post:
“Canada has stopped issuing export permits to companies looking to sell military equipment to Israel, according to one person familiar with the matter.
The source says that Mélanie Joly’s office has issued instructions to staff at Global Affairs Canada to delay issuing permits that are required for weapons, firearms and components that could have a military use.
The Department of Global Affairs would not comment on the information beyond maintaining a fiction that it has not received, and therefore not approved, any export permits for weapons to Israel.
Documents obtained under Access to Information legislation by online publication The Maple make clear that the Canadian government has authorized $28.5 million of military export permits since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Israel was a top 10 destination for Canadian equipment covered by the annual Export of Military Goods report to Parliament in 2021, with exports worth $26.8 million, even though the government says it does not send full weapons systems (the largest sales categories tend to be “aircraft equipment” and “electronic equipment”).”
The issue here is that this is a clear and outright surrender to the anti-Semitic mobs that have been terrorizing Jewish Canadians.
While Jewish Canadians and supporters of Israel from all backgrounds have been advocating peacefully and respectfully for Canada to continue supporting Israel, ‘anti-Israel’ ‘protestors’ have been gathering around hospitals connected to the Jewish community, Jewish schools, Holocaust museums, Jewish-owned businesses, and even businesses with vaguely Jewish-sounding names. They have even vandalized the offices of Jewish politicians. All of that has been an effort to change policy through outright intimidation, and has been part of a broader anti-Semitic effort to drive Jewish Canadians out of public life.
This is where incentives come into play.
The Liberals have consistenly moved further and further away from supporting Israel, thus ignoring the peaceful pro-Israel protests.
Instead, they continue to try and appease the anti-Semitic mobs.
From the perspective of the anti-Semites, the intimidation is working, since the government is responding to it.
And of course, this will lead to the further escalation of anti-Semitism and the increased use of intimidation tactics.
People will do more of what they are rewarded for, and less of what they are punished for. Right now, the government is rewarding people for using anti-Semitism and intimidation in ‘protests,’ and is punishing people for peacefully advocating for the support of Israel.
This fundamental misreading of human nature – and outright pandering to hate – is also being mixed with a significant amount of hypocrisy.
Because, at the same time as Canada halts arms exports to Israel, arms exports to Turkey have restarted:
https://x.com/GarnettGenuis/status/1761088532750180718?s=20
What should be done?
Canada must stand against anti-Semitism, and we must stand with democratic nations like Israel. The government should be taking clear steps to disincentivize anti-Semitic intimidation, including by supporting municipal and provincial authorities in enforcing the laws already on the books against hate and against calls for genocide.
And the government should make it clear that Canada will continue to support Israel, and will not be swayed even one bit by the rantings of anti-Semites. We should be announcing more military aid to Israel, so the anti-Semites know their intimidation tactics will only backfire on them.
Sadly, there is no sign the Liberal government is going to do this.
There should be no room for anti-Semitism in this country. But the current Liberal government doesn’t seem to understand that, and through their actions they are creating more and more room for it every day.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter