The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a government body, has banned wines from Judea and Samaria because, it says, the label – Products of Israel – is “unacceptable” for wines produced in “occupied territory.
The peculiar announcement – which was subsequently and suddenly reversed– sent shockwaves through a country where many citizens are already questioning the agenda of the government, particularly following the recent pay-out of $10,500,000 to jihadist Omar Khadr and an apology for his interrogation at Guantanamo, and the sending of Sharia-supporting Member of Parliament Omar Alghabra to an Organization of Islamic Cooperation session to “raise and advance our core values, including human rights, freedom, democratic governance and the rule of law.”
These troubling events follow other puzzling trends, including the passing of “anti-Islamophobia” motion M-103, which was introduced by Iqra Khalid, a former president of the Muslim Student Association at York, who received a red-carpet welcome from Palestine House, an organization known for its support of the Palestinian al-Quds Intifada. Anti-Islamophobia motions have also been passed in Ontario, while unwarranted Islamophobia charters –pushed by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (formerly CAIR-CAN) — exist in six major cities across Canada. Also, an Islamophobia hotline was set up last January. Canada is also now committed to “restoring relations with Iran and reopening the respective embassies closed in 2012 in Ottawa and Tehran was a Liberal promise during the 2015 election.”
Of course, these developments are spun to mean that Canada is friendly, multicultural and pursuing a partnership with Iran to further business opportunities in Canada. Hopes run high that Canadians will be ignorant of or forget the fact that the most targeted groups for discrimination remain blacks and Jews, not Muslims, and that they will also forget why the Iranian Embassy was shut down in the first place: because of the expansion of Iran’s fifth column and malignant political interests.
Now the big elephant in the room are these questions: why on earth was an order to boycott Israeli wines launched in the first place? Who sanctioned it? Had it not been for the outcry that followed, would that directive have stuck?
The news that Canada was boycotting Israeli wines from “occupied territory” represented yet another attempt to undermine Canada’s democratic foundations in favor of Islamic supremacist propaganda and doctrine; this time, it was a move that was part of the ongoing attempt to demonize and punish Israel for its very existence. World Israel News covered the deluge of disbelief from Canadians and organizations that support the rights of the democratic state of Israel, and also fully recognize the jihadist agenda against the Jewish state. Among those voices was my own:
“I am appalled by this official, written order to boycott Israeli wine by signatory Vincent Caron on behalf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The CFIA has openly attempted to delegitimize the State of Israel. Its statement that the ‘Government of Canada does not recognize Israel sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967’ is shocking. It fails to recognize Israel’s need to defend itself, its obligatory actions stemming from an ongoing defensive war and it further emboldens the historic jihadist agenda to obliterate the Jewish state. The letter also contravenes the Ottawa Protocol, an action plan developed in 2010 under the Harper government at the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism attended by 50 nations…..This letter requires urgent correction or retraction by the Government of Canada to distance itself from this overtly hostile attack against the democratic State of Israel.”
It so happens that the day after the announcement was made, the Government of Canada (for reasons unknown) retracted its decision to boycott Israeli wines from the so-called “occupied territory,” with the promise that “the CFIA will be following up with the LCBO to correct our original response.”
Although many breathed a sigh of relief, the mere fact that this directive was issued in the first place is troubling. Many email inboxes — including my own — filled up with speculations about what message the Canadian government had been trying to send out, despite its rapid about-face. It was happy news that Canada reversed its boycott of Israeli wines, but still an unnerving chain of events, particularly in light of the ongoing pattern in Canada in its dealings with Islamic interests.
“Canada bans Israeli wines produced in ‘occupied territory’”, by Atara Beck, World Israel News, July 13, 2017:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a government body, has banned wines from Judea and Samaria because, it says, the label – Products of Israel – is “unacceptable” for wines produced in “occupied territory.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has ordered the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to prohibit vendors from selling wines produced in Judea and Samaria because they are labelled as products of Israel.
In a letter dated July 11, 2017, Vincent Caron, the LCBO’s senior policy adviser, informed vendors that the CFIA had instructed them on July 6 that “Product of Israel” – as these wines are labelled – “would not be an accepting country of origin declaration for wine products that have been made from grapes that are grown fermented, processed, blended and finished in the West Bank occupied territory.”
According to the letter, “the government of Canada does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip). As such, wine products from these regions that are labelled as ‘Products of Israel’ would not be acceptable and would be considered misleading… LCBO is currently working with CFIA on an action plan to ensure compliance with the notification going forward.”
The letter specifically named the award-winning Psagot and Shiloh wineries.
“I am requesting that all vendors discontinue any importation of sales or products labelled as ‘Product of Israel’ from the wineries named above (or other located in the same regions), until further notice. We are currently seeking clarifications from the CFIA on how such wine should be labelled in order to comply with the Food and Drugs Act,” the letter concluded.
A ‘Hostile Attack’ on the State of IsraelChristine Williams, Public Affairs and Media consultant with the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem-Canada and past adviser to the former Office of Religious Freedom (Canada), was outraged by the CFIA decision. Williams, who is on the Board of Advisers for the Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow and author of The Challenge of Modernizing Islam, told World Israel News:
“I am appalled by this official, written order to boycott Israeli wine by signatory Vincent Caron on behalf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The CFIA has openly attempted to delegitimize the State of Israel. Its statement that the ‘Government of Canada does not recognize Israel sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967’ is shocking. It fails to recognize Israel’s need to defend itself, its obligatory actions stemming from an ongoing defensive war and it further emboldens the historic jihadist agenda to obliterate the Jewish state.
“The letter also contravenes the Ottawa Protocol, an action plan developed in 2010 under the Harper government at the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism attended by 50 nations,” she added. “This letter requires urgent correction or retraction by the Government of Canada to distance itself from this overtly hostile attack against the democratic State of Israel.”
Yaakov Berg, owner and founder of Psagot Winery, said, “We have returned home to our homeland, the place where our ancestors made wine continuing in the same place this ancient tradition. Amazing that this is said by the Canadian government as illegal. We live here in Judea and Samaria under historical rights. Specifically Canada, a country founded and expanded as it conquered and destroyed the homeland of another people, a country with no roots or historical validity of its existence there, questions the right of Jews to live and grow vineyards in the land of our forefathers.”
What Inspired this Decision?World Israel News contacted CFIA Wednesday morning, asking why they took such a harsh measure rather than discussing new labelling.
Also, how did this issue come to the fore? Were there complaints from customers?
The agency’s media relations immediately acknowledged the query, initially responding, “I have passed on your questions and we will get back to you as soon as possible.”
By the end of the day, CFIA sent another email, saying, “We are currently working on responding to your questions and will hopefully get back to you in the next few hours.”
By the next day, there was still no clarification.
The LCBO, also questioned, reiterated what was written in their letter, saying that it “received notification from CFIA that ‘Product of Israel’ would not be an acceptable country of origin declaration for two wine products. While seeking clarification from CFIA on how these wines should be labelled to meet the Federal requirements, LCBO promptly notified stakeholders who might be affected by this direction. Questions regarding this decision or compliance with Federal labelling requirements should be directed to CFIA.”
‘Why is this a Focus of the CFIA?’Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, Senior Rabbi of Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto congregation, one of the largest orthodox synagogues in North American, told WIN:
“It seems to me overly punitive to ban the sales of these wines. What would have been more reasonable is to institute a standard policy for all products sold from Judea-Samaria as far as how Canada wants the items to be labeled. Also, why is this a focus of the CFIA when there are so many other issues revolving around imported foods that are troublesome?”
Indeed, as revealed on CFIA’s website and often publicized in the media, the agency constantly contends with dangerous health issues, such as the recalling of products due to possible salmonella or listeria contamination.
‘Very Sinister, Dangerously Developing Iceberg’Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, spiritual leader of Chabad Flamingo in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, commented on Facebook: “Does this sound like the start of boycotting Jewish businesses in Germany in the early 1930’s to you? It does to me. This may be the tip of a very sinister, dangerously developing iceberg. Not a joking matter at all.”
In a statement to the media, Avi Benlolo, president and CEO of the Toronto-based Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, issued a media statement, saying the organization was “contesting this apparent policy change with LCBO and the CFIA, which is seemingly initiating this action.
“We have already contacted the CFIA directly to register our protest as well as the LCBO. We consider any action which promotes the so-called Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel as antisemitic. This would be out of step with the existing government policy which has vigorously condemned the BDS campaign….
Halal Bacon says
reason 3294 why islam sucks
Paul Kersey says
I am going to buy and drink only Israeli wine from now on, in support of Israel. I think what happened is that someone in the LCBO (which is a provincial government organization in Ontario) is an anti-Israel pro-Palestine sympathizer and did this knowing full well that it would be controversial and divisive, as an act of political protest. It just goes to show you how many anti-Semitic people are embedded in governments, unions, schools, NGOs, and government organizations in Canada.
Decades of propaganda in humanities and social science departments have resulted in these activists learning this ideology in university and then carrying it forward into their jobs, where by stealth and guile they have implemented their agenda a bit at a time. The same thing happened with feminist ideology and anti-Western ideology.
The result is that in Canada not even government officials believe in the country; they believe in a vision of social justice that is ultimately totalitarian, and are trying to implement it in degrees. They believe they have the moral high ground, but their agenda is violent, anti-democratic, totalitarian, divisive, and narrow-minded. This LCBO employee, rather than doing his job, used his job to send a political message, much as terrorists do through their actions.
This also speaks to the issue of the need for privatization of alcohol sales. Why is the government running sales in Ontario anyway? I suppose it’s to make money, because liquor there is very expensive from the added taxes. Maybe this should serve as a wake-up call for the privatization of liquor sales and scaling back from the nanny state.
Paul Kersey says
A small correction to my statement above. It was someone in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, not LCBO, who did this. The guy’s name is Vincent Caron. My working theory is that he imbibed the anti-Israel kook-aid in university and carried it into the work place and that this was a rogue action, which is why it was reversed so fast.
Here is the government reversal from their website:
“Product of Israel” Wine Labelling
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regrets the outcome of the wine labelling assessment which led to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) response regarding products from two wineries labelled as “Product of Israel”.
In our assessment, we did not fully consider the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA).
Further clarification of the CIFTA (Article 1.4.1b) indicates that these wines adhere to the Agreement and therefore we can confirm that the products in question can be sold as currently labelled.
The CFIA will be following up with the LCBO to correct our original response.
carpediadem says
Nice one Paul.
WPM says
I am with you normal I am an American normal I like Italy wine and wine from Chile . I will buy and gladly drink Israel wine. I agree with the good Rabbi in Canada this is what Germany did in the late 1920 to early 1930 call for a boycott of Jewish business. It is funny if there where a boycott of Islamic products the only thing they produce beside hate ,murder, rape ,thief,, all in Allah name is oil. I am a Christian, God bless the Jews they are my elders and should be respected and honor.
carpediadem says
Very kind words.
Louis Schwartz says
WPM: Beautiful Sentiment. Thank You!
Minutes1234 says
Yes.
Lucia Bartoli says
I hope that Israel will cleatly label EVERY single product they grow, produce, assemble, see, etc. as “Made in Israel.”
The wine should be able to keep their label but maybe “Fine wine from the bosom of Abraham and in the traditions of our Israeli forefathers.” Say it with such subtle force that we all recognize Israel!.
Likewise maybe Israel should tell the New IS (aka Canada) that Israel will no longer provide that country with things like WAZE and will have to limit other trade items.
I think this should serve to Increase business. I’m going to go out of my way to buy Israeli wine here in Southern Calif
Shalom
Dan says
Problem is that will make it easier for idiots to support BDS.
The only way to level the playing field, is to have all imports from Muslim countries labeled as well.
Especially HALAL compliant products.
tpog says
Right on, Dan. Agree 100%. Will be buying ISRAELI wines exclusively from now on. We MUST BOYCOTT halal food products and restaurants.
D-spot says
More buffoonery and political hackery from the Canadian Government – what is wrong with them? You get into government and lose common sense, does everything have to be tainted with 1984ish nit-pickery (sorry, making up words as I go) but really!!
Has this vaunted agency observed the brutal halal killing of food animals – there is something to promote (sarc) although it is done in the same way as they dispatch humans who have wronged the faith.
supermarkets selling halal will never see me inside – go local if possible.
Paul says
I think boycotts in general are counterproductive. The Halal restaurant you boycott may be owned by a perfectly decent guy. Why drag him/her into the conflict. Ridiculous for people to go around boycotting things because of their disagreements. By starting your own boycott, you indirectly legitimize BDS.
gravenimage says
Paul, the idea that refusing to buy things from, say, funders of Jihad is the same as boycotting civilized Israel is mistaken.
Boycotts are moral–or not–depending who is the object of the boycott, and why.
Phil Copson says
tpog – agree with you: Paul – disagree with you……..quite apart from the political / religious aspects of the spread of Halal products, Halal slaughter is straightforward animal cruelty of a kind that the West used to abhor.
I won’t eat knowingly meat from an animal that has spent it’s last minutes terrified by the scent of blood from the animals killed ahead of it, and then been brutally killed to satisfy some pagan’s blood-lust.
I won’t shop in supermarkets that sell Halal meat, buy from firms that support BDS or fund BLM, and after the recent rally by 3,000+ concerned locals in Manchester who were then routinely denigrated by the BBC as “far-right” etc, I have cancelled my TV licence: I may not be able to prevent the islamisation of Great Britain, but I’m damned if I am going to help fund it.
(Hmm – am now in danger of sounding like a humourless Leftie boycotter myself – shall restore my equilibrium by having a large brandy, hunting a fox or two across my estates, and administering a sound thrashing to a peasant for missing Sunday service………)
Minutes1234 says
I do !
mortimer says
Jihadi Justin is the greatest traitor in Canada’s history.
Dov Berrol says
Wow. Let’s see what other wines are produced in so-called “occupied territory”….
All of the Western Hemisphere and Australia were colonized by Europeans from England, France, Spain and Portugal….1500 years after Rome kicked the Jews out of Eretz Yisrael….and about 600 years after the Arab hordes illegally occupied the Land of Israel and forced its Jewish residents into dhimmitude.
So if Canada wants to be consistent, my government in Ottawa needs to boycott wines from Ontario, California, Chile and Australia too.
What hypocrits.
John A. Marre says
One way to prove your love for Muslims is to show your hate for Jews. Is this Trudeau’s doing? Is he systematically ordering every level of government to discriminate against Jews and give preference to Muslims?
Steve Edward says
Trudeau has converted to Islam. He verbalized the Shahada, The Muslim conversion prayer in a Mosque.
Just do an image search. Your search word should be: Trudeau praying in Mosque.
You’ll see him in the Mosque praying.
Frank Anderson says
I cannot help being confused by liberal Jews who kowtow to Muslims in the US. Mixed among them are many friends who understand the problem and the stakes of the 1400 year war. But until Israel’s ox is gored, a liberal is a liberal is a liberal and deliberately blind, deaf and dumb to the truth of Islam. Please understand I have been taught the strongest friendship with Jews since I was very young, and number among my most admired and respected people a large number of them. But, pretending, looking the other way, denying, ignoring the truth will cause great pain. Look at the half of Germany’s Jews who refused to believe not only what Hitler wrote and spoke, but also what his SA did with party sanction. If right of conquest ceases to be effective for property claims, just about everyone will be homeless.
ploome says
It is not only ‘liberal Jews’. In Europe and USA the muslims make alliance with anyone against the Jews, who really are an easy traditional historic target.
THEN they go after the Sunday people. Muslims tell us this, and most don;t believe them.
So it is not only liberal Jews, it is also all the non Jews who support muslims.
Frank Anderson says
Ploome, I agree that there are far more people involved than Jewish liberals (“a liberal is a liberal is a liberal.”). I cannot overstate my friendship and admiration for many Jews. It hurts me to observe that almost 80 years after so many died because they didn’t believe what they were seeing. . .and now in spite of annual remembrance of the Holocaust utterly fail to see that history is repeating with their cooperation. It is both a practical and philosophical question that begs for analysis and answers why people are failing to “connect the dots” to see what is both promised and is performing by Islam as we watch. It’s not just Jews who are targets: It is pretty well everybody who does not convert, submit or die.
Paul says
It’s difficult for them because if they begin to question the left’s stance on Israel, then they have to question a lot of other leftist axioms, which they’ve been adhering to for many years. So they remain in denial.
mohamonator says
No doubt the FIA will next attempt to ban wines from Spain and Portugal unless they are relabeled “Product of Al-Andaluz”.
Halal Bacon says
I am surprised they sell this islamophobic brand,
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/bulls-blood-merlot-keikfrankos/139980#.WWkSLoTyuUk
Its whole existence is to the fight against the islamic invaders, According to legend, the name originates from the invasion of Suleiman the Magnificent around 1552.
“To motivate and support the small group of soldiers during the Siege of Eger castle they were served delicious food and a lot of red wine. Among the Turkish soldiers it was rumored that bull’s blood was mixed into the red wine, as otherwise the strength and firm resistance of the town and castle of Eger could not be explained.
Paul says
Interesting. We should start buying this plus the almost-banned Israeli wine.
Tama says
The Islamophobia hot line advertisement was removed from my Vancouver library for the time being, anyway.
gravenimage says
Another pro-jihad move in Canada: a short-lived directive to boycott Israeli wine
…………………
Disgusting–I’d missed that one. Glad to hear the boycott was short-lived, at least.
Andy says
You know, it’s funny because I do go out of my way to buy most “kosher” foods and drink I can, because I want to support as much as I can Israel! I love her so much.
I will make sure to add Israeli wines to my list of items to purchase next time I go shopping.
Thank you Jihad Watch for the “heads up” .
Folks we have to ALL support Israel in anyway we can.
God Bless Israel.
B’ezrat HaShem (Hebrew: בעזרת השם, “with God’s help”) is a similar phrase. The acronym is B”H (Hebrew: ב”ה), which is also often read as “Baruch HaShem”.
AMEN
Andy says
Long live Israel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV0RQYvUNjI
gravenimage says
Great to hear, Andy!
Here is a list of some of the best Isreali wines:
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/food/1.660446
I’m not sure how easy these wines are to find where you are, but it might be a good place to start.
Dean says
Canada Today: Former terrorist given $10.5 million by the country he seditiously abandoned to work for the Taliban and ended up killing a soldier and blinding another in one eye. An apology from Canada to Omar Khadr will soon follow.
Canada Today: RCMP celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Canadian mosque(s) in full police uniform.
Canada Today: M-103 motion is recommended by one of the new star Muslim MPs who was active in Islamist politics during her formative Toronto university education – motion passed and adopted and immediate steps taken to further its impact with the pro-Islamist Trudeau government.
Canada Today: In my opinion allegations that this order to boycott and sanction Israel came from the top are true. We might never know if speculation making this connection is true but I am guessing that things will get increasingly ugly in Canada as they did in America under Obama. Obama is coaching his political forces worldwide and Trudeau is among his clan and working with Canadian organizations towards ouster of Trump. Stay tuned and fight back!
Jeleel Abas says
Very soon, Canadian Prime Minister and Lawmakers will learn their bitter lessons from the Islamic belligerence. When you harbor evil, you would regret sooner or later.
Canada will soon realize that Immigration is a major part of Jihad. Mohammed was an immigrant in Yathrib where he eliminated some of his hosts, subjugted others by force and took over the land. Canada will regret its hospitality lenience with Muslims. They will change the Law of Canada completely.
DogOnPorch says
The winery probably employs local Arabs.
Monty says
The scenarios are not looking good. The Islamification of the West proceeds with very little interruption. It seems to me that either most nations will simply become Muslim republics or civil war will break out. Since most governments have sold out to Islam, civil war becomes more difficult. Will the army of France defend its people against Islam or back the Muslim regime? The French and British are looking to their own nuclear arsenals as they no longer trust the USA to help out. Wonderful. Both nations are near capitulation to Islam. North Korea is a irritating zit compared to the cancer that is Islam. So we face the prospect of Muslim controlled militaries with advanced weaponry, including nukes. Christians rejoice for the end times are near! Others – I’d be seeking out what it means to be Christian immediately, if not sooner!
gravenimage says
*Someone* stopped this boycott, Monty–that is not a minor thing.
Richie says
I was unaware Canada is now openly hostile to Israel. No shock, the leftists are now in power
Sherry Dion says
I agree with previous post. Only Israeli wine for me from now on. I hope sales surge!
healer says
Trudeau is the “Manchurian Candidate”, a puppet manipulated by his Pro-Islamist handlers.
This former substitute ‘drama teacher’ punctuates his speeches with as many as 15 ‘uhhhhs’ a sentence…..
Fraser says
Not surprising. Canadian governments at all levels are inundated with leftists, islamic infiltrators & supporters in high enough places to initiate unilateral decisions such as these.