The NDP Opposes IDF Speakers in Canada

Walter E. Block

Heather McPherson is an NDP MP who represents the Edmonton Strathcona riding in the House of Commons. She is not a happy camper. What complaint does she have?

She states: “This week [November 9, 2025], I was outraged to learn that a tour of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers was organized across Canadian and American universities, including most recently at Toronto Metropolitan University.”

She is incensed that “It is unacceptable for any institution of higher learning to permit active members of a foreign military force – particularly one currently engaged in genocide, forced starvation, and forced displacement of civilians – to use resources from publicly funded post-secondary institutions.”

But what happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” According to that famous, albeit fictional English barrister Horace Rumpole, this is the “golden thread” that runs all throughout British Justice. No Canadian court has of yet found the Israel Defense Forces anything other than innocent of any offense of which she opines they are guilty. Certainly, that applies to these few Israeli soldiers who have had the temerity to seek to inform Canadian students of their points of view. No Canadian court has rendered such a judgement on any single such individual, let alone regarding the entire IDF organization. Nor, even, would any Canadian court to be competent to rule on any genocide taking place in the 10,000-mile distant Middle East. It is more than sufficient that these soldiers passed muster under Canadian immigration control, and thus have every right to be in this country, as much as she does, herself.

Now genocide is, of course, a per se crime. It is difficult in the extreme to imagine a more serious or atrocious rights violation. It consists of the purposeful attempt to eradicate a significant percentage of an enemy population. Hamas is clearly guilty of this despicable offence against humanity. In its atrocity of October 7, 2023, this terrorist organization mutilated and murdered some 1200 innocent Israelis; they took some 200 hostages, many of whom later perished while in captivity. This is a significant part of the population of only some nine million.

Is the Jewish state guilty of genocide in the aftermath of this Hamas attack? No. Not at all. It is a perversion not only of semantics, but, also, elemental justice, to maintain any such claim. Israel fought a purely defensive war, the goal of which was and still is to ensure that “never again,” will such a disgraceful episode occur.

It cannot be denied that tens of thousands of non-combatant Gazans perished in this war. But this was not intentional on the part of the IDF; rather is was collateral damage that occurs in all wars. It was greatly exacerbated, however, by Hamas, the supposed guardian of the Palestinian peoples. They used these civilians, women and children included, as shields, parking its military hardware in, and shooting rockets from, schools, hospitals and residential areas. This despicable act is something that not even the Nazis engaged in.

As for allegations of starvation, this false charge emanated almost an entire two years ago; it is rendered false by the facts on the ground: full bodied, healthy appearing Gazans have been seen on our television screens ever since then. Starving people do not survive for any such length of time. In any case, since when is it the obligation of a defensive army to feed enemy civilians? Did the Allies undertake any such obligation vis a vis the civilians? Of course not. Israel went way over and above any (non-existent) duty to do just that. Thousands of trucks containing food, water, medical supplies have passed through its borders in a westward direction. Also, the IDF have been extraordinarily careful to preserve Gazan lives. Before bombing Hamas rocket launchers located amongst civilians, it drops leaflets, warning them to depart (Hamas does not allow this, raising the death rate). How many other armies engage in such safeguarding practices? The military of the Hebrew nation does so even at the cost of its own soldiers’ lives. The IDF has a comparative advantage from the air; yet, its soldiers go from booby trapped building to booby trapped building, so as to spare Palestinian live.

As for McPherson’s charge of “displacement of civilians,” they are trespassers on land rightfully belonging to Jews. The latter were in occupation some 3500 years ago, busily homesteading, a la philosopher John Locke, the land now in contention. The Arabs arrived there only a few scant centuries ago.

This NDP member of Parliament is also excited about the fact that Canadian Universities have made a decision to “provide a platform to” members of the IDF. But are not such institutions of higher learning supposed to engage in academic inclusiveness? Are they not entitled to introduce their students to both sides of all controversial issues? We do not hear Heather McPherson when advocates of the Hamas side of this war gain a campus podium from which to speak their piece.

According to this politician “…any individuals in Canada who are suspected of committing such crimes, in any context around the world, must be investigated and, if evidence warrants, prosecuted.” Yes, yes, yes, of course, to be sure. But as of yet such “evidence” has not been forthcoming against any single one of these IDF spokesmen.

Our intrepid socialist continues her whining: “After hearing from student activists, I am alarmed by the events that occurred this week, especially as a number of young people were hospitalized after attempting to interrupt the event that was taking place. The right to protest is protected in Canada.”

We call “Whoa!” on that. Yes, of course, “protest” also runs through Canadian mores and rules like a “golden thread.” But assault and battery do not exactly fit this bill. Our Albertan legislator is perturbed by how these IDF speakers treated those who attempted to cancel their talks with violent disruptions, as occurs all too often on our leftish college campuses. Well it is about time, actually it is long past time that these socialist hooligans be taught a lesson about respect, about responsibility, about allowing the other side, too, to have a little microphone time.

Yes, indeed, “protest” is and should continue to be “protected in Canada.” However, this was not at all a peaceful “protest.” It was an attempt, happily suppressed, to prohibit those invitees of Canadian Jewish organizations from publicly speaking. They were engaged in a “heckler’s veto.” Surely, this is not the sort of thing that should be allowed at Canadian or any other universities.

If this member of the New Democratic Party is really concerned “… that our public institutions never again legitimize or normalize war crimes” then she should use her best efforts to prevent the campus speeches of anyone who favors the side in the Middle Eastern war occupied by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or any other such terrorist entity, as she herself does. Yes, there are indeed “war crimes” taking place in that unhappy corner of the world. But those who actually engage in them are the enemies of the Jewish state.

Do we support any such muzzling of the bitter enemies of Israel, including this Member of Parliament? We do not. Rather, we side with the John Stuart Mill of his “On Liberty,” who called for widespread free speech, for a hearing of all sides of debated issues.