It is a shock to see the NDP implode during last week’s federal election. The NDP retained less than one third (29%) of the 24 seats it had won in the 2021 election. With only seven seats in Parliament, the NDP lost its party status, research funds, the ability to sit on Commons committees. The party has no right to participate in question period. And, it’s a problem that incumbents such as dedicated left-wing NDP-MPs Niki Ashton and Matthew Green were not returned to the Hill. It may be a worse problem that a serious socialist activist, Avi Lewis, didn’t win the seat he sought.
Now the NDP will be piloted by Don Davies (MP for Vancouver Kingsway), its interim leader.
Davies first elected in 2008, has been re-elected four times – and re-elected for a fifth time last week. As Davies noted after 7 Oct 2023,
“Israel is now using sophisticated technology to target and kill leading Gazan academics, authors, historians, poets, artists, journalists, teachers. These are not Hamas leaders. This is cultural genocide. The world must intervene to stop this brutal crime against humanity.”
Junket for Genocide
But perhaps lesser known is Davies having taken a free trip to Israel in 2012. The CIJA- (Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs) sponsored trip cost more than $10,677 according to its declared value – and Davies didn’t have to pay a cent. According to The Maple, he is among the 58% of incumbent MPs in the 2025 election who were lobbied by CIJA and/or went on a free trip to Israel. More than 800 Canadian MPs and senators, often accompanied by their spouses, have taken free junkets to Israel starting as far back as 1973. I’ve written about this here and here.
Davies went on the junket to Israel in 2012. Clearly, now he has turned against Israel’s illegal and brutal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, like almost every other NDP candidate, he signed on to support the Vote Palestine campaign. As I noted here, candidates from the NDP and the Green Party eagerly signed on to the platform for Vote Palestine in the wake of Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinians. Here’s the Palestine platform:
Imposing a two-way arms embargo on Israel
Ending Canadian involvement in illegal Israeli settlements
Addressing anti-Palestinian racism and protecting freedom of expression on Palestine
Recognizing the state of Palestine
Protecting and funding Gaza relief efforts, including UNRWA
Of course I’m happy to see that Don Davies now supports the Palestinians, and criticizes Israel – though a dozen years ago I think he supported Israel.
Now is the time for him to “come clean”. A dozen years ago, Davies took a “gift” worth almost $11,000 from the pro-Israel lobby – which he should not have done. Actually no MP should have taken the freebie. Now, by way of apology, Davies should explain his change of heart, and offer a significant donation to the Palestinian cause. After all, Gaza is the defining issue of our time – and for someone leading the NDP that purports to be Canada’s party of conscience, it’s time for Davies to come clean. And to make his support for Vote Palestine a reality.
Featured cartoon: The Gaza Blocus by Patrick Chappatte, cartoonist. (credit © Chappatte in Le Temps, Geneva, Switzerland).