Desertions From Liberal Ship Prove Harper Right

Harper has been drawing a little heat about his comments that the candidates for the leadership of the liberal part were anti-isreal but......

October 13, 2006

Irwin Cotler's wife: Dump the Liberal Party

Posted by Steve Janke of the Blogging Tories at 08:52 AM

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Technorati tags: Ariela Cotler, Susan Kadis, Israel, Michael Ignatieff, Liberal Party, Canada, Irwin Cotler, Paul Martin, Conservative Party, Stephen Harper

Ariela Cotler, the wife of former Liberal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, has very publicly denounced the Liberal Party. This on the heels of the resignation of Susan Kadis from the Michael Ignatieff campaign. This all points to the Liberal Party is suffering from deep divisions over the harsh criticism aimed at Israel by most of the senior leadership.

Updated: More on Ariela's politics and influence. Also some thoughts on Liberal MP Susan Kadis.

Two very public renunciations of the Liberal Party from noteworthy Jewish Liberals in the span of three days.

First, this letter published in the National Post on Friday, October 13, 2006 (page A17):

I was a Liberal ... until yesterday

Re: Israeli Envoy, Rae Attack Ignatieff's Remarks, Oct. 12.

I have been an active, involved and contributing member of the Liberal party until yesterday, when I decided to give up my membership because of the statements from Michael Ignatieff, given in French to a Quebec radio station.

I was hoping that with his background as a professor of human rights, Mr. Ignatieff would be able to make the distinction between the attackers and the attacked. I would remind Mr. Ignatieff that it was a Liberal government that placed Hezbollah on the international terrorist organizations list.

I feel it was not political savvy and wisdom that Mr. Ignatieff lacked in his address in Quebec. Rather, it was a lack of moral integrity, sacrificing the truth for personal political gains in the upcoming leadership election for the party.

I, and many of my friends, will no longer be there for that event.

Ariela Cotler, Montreal.

Ariela Cotler is the wife of Irwin Cotler, Liberal MP for Mount Royal and formerly the Justice Minister in Paul Martin's government. That Mrs Cotler is abandoning the Liberal Party altogether rather than publicly declare for another candidate (such as Bob Rae, whom Irwin Cotler is expected to support) suggests that Prime Stephen Harper was right:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper painted the slate of Liberal leadership candidates as anti-Israel yesterday following remarks from frontrunner Michael Ignatieff that Israel committed a war crime last July.

"I think this is consistent with the anti-Israeli position that has been taken by virtually all of the candidates for the Liberal leadership," Harper said. "I don't think it's helpful or useful."

It's one for thing for the Conservatives to suggest that the Liberals are top-heavy with people who are almost reflexively critical of Israel, but when a prominent Liberal says the same thing a day later, you have to wonder just how serious the problem really is. Apparently, Mrs Cotler can't find a home inside the Liberal Party. As a supporter of Israel, she no longer feels welcome. Irwin Cotler, as a sitting MP and a prominent senior Liberal, is constrained from being too critical of the Liberal Party, and he did not sign his name to his wife's letter. Nevertheless, her letter will be associated with Irwin Cotler, and I can't help but think that she is speaking, and acting, on behalf of both of them.

Update: Actually, I know this to be true. Irwin and Ariela are a "two-for-one" political team. Something as significant as dumping the Liberal Party is going to be done with Irwin Cotler's full knowledge and support:

[Irwin] Cotler said his is a "two-for-one candidacy" -- he and his wife, Ariela. Having worked in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Ariela is no stranger to politics.

Indeed, she is no stranger. And she is heavily involved in the Jewish community, as past president of Hillel Montreal:

Hillel Montreal is a Jewish student organization that represents the needs of the diverse Jewish student population in Montreal. Hillel Montreal is responsible and committed to creating a vibrant, innovative and exciting campus life for Jewish CEGEP and university students. Hillel Montreal aims to create an atmosphere of openness where all students feel welcome and comfortable to actively participate in programming or attend events.

When Mrs Cotler says "many of her friends" won't be supporting the Liberal Party or participating in the leadership campaign, she could be talking about a lot of people. She has lots of friends -- friends in Montreal, across Canada, and in Israel -- all of whom listen to her opinion with a great deal of respect.

Mrs Cotler has sent a powerful message to the Liberal Party, and has cast a light on the divisions that are appearing inside the party. She has affirmed what Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said about the Liberal Party and its willingness to support Hezbollah and others over Israel. It may be a very long time before the damage that Canada's left has inflicted upon itself with its harsh criticism of Israel and its coddling of terrorists can be repaired, if that is even possible.

But until they fix it, the Liberal Party will continue to shed the final vestiges of Jewish support, including, presumably, support at the highest level of the party from people like the Cotlers.

This on the heels of the resignation of Liberal MP Susan Kadis, who is also Jewish, from her position as Toronto campaign chair for the Michael Ignatieff campaign, and you see where this is going. The ones who don't leave the Liberal Party on their own will be urged to leave by the likes of Cotler and Kadis.