The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is a Zionist group that has a stated priority of “strengthening the Canada-Israel Relationship.”
The group has aimed to do so in many different ways, including by taking MPs on fully-paid trips as well as lobbying them.
Davide Mastracci
The CIJA website lists several policy recommendations for elected officials.
One recommendation is for the federal government to “publicly recognize that anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism,” a suggestion that if implemented could contribute to the criminalization of pro-Palestine advocacy in Canada.
Another is for the federal government to “support the people and land of Israel in the international arena.” They recommend that Canada should “publicly oppose one-sided UN resolutions that unfairly and uniquely single out the world’s only Jewish state”; “publicly oppose efforts that deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination in their ancient homeland”; and “draw a clear moral distinction between the defensive actions of Israelis and the illegal aggression of banned terrorist groups.”
CIJA also suggests that the government should “ensure Canadian foreign aid is aligned with Canadian values & policy.” The group recently announced it will be launching a lawsuit against the Canadian government’s decision to reinstate UNRWA funding critical to Palestinian survival in Gaza in the midst of what has been deemed an ongoing or imminent famine.
These are some of the positions CIJA currently has, and that it presumably attempts to convince some MPs of in lobbying meetings. The group does a great deal of lobbying.
From Oct. 7, 2023 to April 11, CIJA held at least 107 separate lobbying sessions, 82 of which included discussions of “international relations.”
A broader review of the lobbyist registry by The Maple found that at least 56 per cent of MPs or their office assistants have been lobbied by CIJA at least once. Some MPs, however, have spent a lot more time with CIJA than others.
Here is a list of the 10 MPs most lobbied by CIJA (as of April 11, 2024), which consists of multiple members from all three major parties.
Anthony Housefather
Times Lobbied: 67
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 8
Party: Liberal
Riding: Mount Royal
Marco Mendicino
Times Lobbied: 63
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 8
Party: Liberal
Riding: Eglinton—Lawrence
Rachel Bendayan
Times Lobbied: 20
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 4
Party: Liberal
Riding: Outremont
Ya’ara Saks
Times Lobbied: 20
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 7
Party: Liberal
Riding: York Centre
Randall Garrison
Times Lobbied: 17
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 1
Party: NDP
Riding: Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke
Melissa Lantsman
Times Lobbied: 15
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 8
Party: Conservative
Riding: Thornhill
Justin Trudeau
Times Lobbied: 15
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 1
Party: Liberal
Riding: Papineau
Rob Oliphant
Times Lobbied: 14
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 1
Party: Liberal
Riding: Don Valley West
Don Davies
Times Lobbied: 13
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 1
Party: NDP
Riding: Vancouver Kingsway
Marty Morantz
Times Lobbied: 13
Average Times Lobbied Per Year: 3
Party: Conservative
Riding: Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley
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