Last night, we were alerted to the fact that Faith Goldy, a candidate for Mayor of Toronto, had tweeted a recent photo with Premier Doug Ford. While this happened a few days ago, our offices and online operations were closed for the first two days of Sukkot.

We immediately contacted and had a very productive conversation with senior officials in the Premier’s office, sharing our community’s concerns about Goldy’s positions and agenda. This afternoon, the Premier tweeted that he unequivocally condemns antisemitism and racism “be it from Faith Goldy or anyone else.”

We welcome the Premier’s statement, which is consistent with his repeated commitment to combating antisemitism in Ontario. As we have voiced previously, we are concerned that extreme, anti-immigrant activists – some of whom have disturbing ties with neo-Nazis – are attempting to promote their agenda in municipal politics. This includes James Sears and Paul Fromm, both of whom are candidates in current municipal elections.

Given that their agenda has failed to gain support within mainstream federal and provincial parties, extreme activists are clearly redoubling their focus on municipal politics. We must remain vigilant and continue to send a strong signal that extremists will not gain traction in mainstream politics. We are confident voters will do so as well on October 22nd.

Now more than ever, it is important for grassroots community members to take an active role in municipal politics. Contact CJPAC to get involved with the campaign of your choice and make sure to vote on election day.

Sincerely,

Barbara Bank
Chair, CIJA Toronto