A Liberal-appointed senator has raised concerns over a private member’s bill to designate April as Arab Heritage Month, citing the need to address systemic anti-Palestinian racism in Canadian society.“Let’s not do Arabs the dishonour of passing a bill in haste that willfully ignores the suffering of Arabs in Palestine and Lebanon and the silencing of Arab Canadians because of their views on the situation in Palestine,” said Sen. Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) during the bill’s Third Reading debate.Blacklock's Reporter said Woo criticized Bill C-232, which passed the House of Commons unanimously in 2023, for overlooking what he described as “blatant anti-Palestinian racism that pervades society.” He urged fellow senators to reflect on the broader implications of celebrating Arab heritage in light of Canada’s policies toward Palestinian Arabs.“Take the recent uproar over the singing of an Arabic song during a Remembrance Day ceremony at an Ontario high school,” Woo said, referencing controversy over the inclusion of Haza Salam, an Arabic song, in a ceremony at Ottawa’s Robert Borden High School. “Imagine that, the use of Arabic in a Canadian school. If we truly respect and celebrate Arab heritage, we can surely welcome an Arabic song at a ceremony to remember Canadian veterans.”The bill, sponsored by Liberal MP David McGuinty (Ottawa South), would proclaim April as a non-statutory observance of Arab Heritage Month. McGuinty told the Senate social affairs committee in October that the measure aimed to “celebrate each other” and “help undermine bigotry.”Woo linked the bill’s shortcomings to broader issues, including the displacement of Palestinians since the 1948 founding of Israel and ongoing violence in Gaza. He described the current situation as a “catastrophe” and criticized Canada’s foreign policy, accusing political leaders of ignoring alleged war crimes in Gaza.“Our political leaders cannot bear to listen to the fact of war crimes in Gaza that expose the hypocrisy, duplicity, and dare I say complicity of Canadian foreign policy in violations of international humanitarian law,” said Woo.While McGuinty has not commented on Woo’s remarks, the senator emphasized the need for substantive action to accompany symbolic measures like Arab Heritage Month.
A Liberal-appointed senator has raised concerns over a private member’s bill to designate April as Arab Heritage Month, citing the need to address systemic anti-Palestinian racism in Canadian society.“Let’s not do Arabs the dishonour of passing a bill in haste that willfully ignores the suffering of Arabs in Palestine and Lebanon and the silencing of Arab Canadians because of their views on the situation in Palestine,” said Sen. Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) during the bill’s Third Reading debate.Blacklock's Reporter said Woo criticized Bill C-232, which passed the House of Commons unanimously in 2023, for overlooking what he described as “blatant anti-Palestinian racism that pervades society.” He urged fellow senators to reflect on the broader implications of celebrating Arab heritage in light of Canada’s policies toward Palestinian Arabs.“Take the recent uproar over the singing of an Arabic song during a Remembrance Day ceremony at an Ontario high school,” Woo said, referencing controversy over the inclusion of Haza Salam, an Arabic song, in a ceremony at Ottawa’s Robert Borden High School. “Imagine that, the use of Arabic in a Canadian school. If we truly respect and celebrate Arab heritage, we can surely welcome an Arabic song at a ceremony to remember Canadian veterans.”The bill, sponsored by Liberal MP David McGuinty (Ottawa South), would proclaim April as a non-statutory observance of Arab Heritage Month. McGuinty told the Senate social affairs committee in October that the measure aimed to “celebrate each other” and “help undermine bigotry.”Woo linked the bill’s shortcomings to broader issues, including the displacement of Palestinians since the 1948 founding of Israel and ongoing violence in Gaza. He described the current situation as a “catastrophe” and criticized Canada’s foreign policy, accusing political leaders of ignoring alleged war crimes in Gaza.“Our political leaders cannot bear to listen to the fact of war crimes in Gaza that expose the hypocrisy, duplicity, and dare I say complicity of Canadian foreign policy in violations of international humanitarian law,” said Woo.While McGuinty has not commented on Woo’s remarks, the senator emphasized the need for substantive action to accompany symbolic measures like Arab Heritage Month.
