Honourable senators, this morning, mainstream newspaper La Presse exercised appalling judgment by publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a manner reminiscent of those published in 1930s Germany about Jewish people. The fact that La Presse permitted the publication of this image, even though it clearly draws upon anti-Semitic tropes, such as “blood libel” — the idea peddled by Jew-haters that they murdered Christians in order to use their blood in rituals — is extraordinarily offensive to hundreds of thousands of Jewish Canadians and millions of Jews around the world. It is an insult to the memory of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust.

In fact, Nosferatu, the vampiric inspiration for this cartoon, was also a source of inspiration for Julius Streicher, the chief editor of Hitler’s anti-Semitic newspaper Der Stürmer. Dozens of caricatures of vampire-like Jews appeared in the pages of that publication, stoking hatred toward Jews in Germany that would eventually lead to the Holocaust.

Meanwhile, La Presse is following in their footsteps. The fact that this anti-Semitic trope was published in the first place reveals either gross ignorance or blatant anti-Semitism within the ranks of the media in this country. It also demonstrates the validation that many Canadians feel in expressing these views as a result of the actions of politicians in this country. The most recent example is the motion that was adopted on Monday night in other place, where a moral equivalency was once again drawn between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

It is even worse that this was published during a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in our country.

It is possible to criticize the Prime Minister of Israel without resorting to these disgusting caricatures. This, however, will only intensify the levels of hate that Jews have experienced in Canada since the October 7 massacre. I urge La Presse to apologize to the Jewish community in Canada for publishing this cartoon, and to pledge to never again succumb to such a moral failing.

Moreover, I urge all politicians to stop playing cynical diaspora politics and vote banking in this country. When politicians delegitimize Israel’s right to defend itself against a genocidal terrorist organization like Hamas, thereby rewarding Hamas for the horrific attack on October 7 and the ongoing captivity of innocent Israelis — as they did in the other place on Monday night — they are justifying the narrative that anti‑Semitism is okay as long as it is cloaked in anti-Zionism.

Like I said, banking votes and playing diaspora politics to prioritize one’s own political fortunes over the safety and security of Jewish Canadians leads to those Canadians being increasingly targeted, because politicians have given others the green light to do so.

Thank you, colleagues. “Never again” should mean never again.