Karen Stintz: Fred Hahn doesn't deserve to be a union leader (2024)

In the theatre of social media, most individuals who express views that are racist, sexist, discriminatory or out of sync with social norms are shamed into retracting their views — at least publicly. The exception to this rule seems to be Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario president Fred Hahn.

During the Olympics, Hahn, also a vice-president of CUPE’s national branch, shared a video on Facebook of an Israeli athlete diving into a pool; the video had been edited to depict the diver as a bomb descending on Palestinians. Hahn apologized on Sunday, but it was insincere and empty because he has a history of posting antisemitic messages and then offering vacuous apologies.

Article content

One day after Hamas’s October 7 terror attack last fall, Hahn posted an insidious comment to X (formerly Twitter) celebrating “#Resistance.” A week later, he doubled down, claiming the union is “proud of our long-standing support for the rights of Palestinians, including their right to resist oppression and occupation, and we are proud of the leading role that many of CUPE’s locals have played in this work.” He apologized afterward for “Causing any form of pain to our members,” but it didn’t sound like he was sorry for his words.

To date, Hahn has suffered no material repercussions because the audience that usually does the shaming thinks he speaks their truth. And so, for months, Hahn has used his perch atop CUPE to legitimize and spread Jew hatred.

Finally, it appears that his reign at the national level may soon be over, with CUPE’s executive boardcallingon Thursday for Hahn to resign from his post (though he hasrefused, so far).

As far back as 2006, CUPE Ontario has sowed intolerance of the Jewish community by referring to Israel as an occupier of Palestinian lands. In support of this position, the union created a solidarity-with-Palestine educational campaign for its 290,000 Ontario members. Back in 2006, there was broad consensus within the mainstream media that this was a dangerous campaign that unfairly singled out Israel. Fast forward to 2024, and this position is now seen as protected free speech.

Article content

Article content

Only a couple weeks after October 7, the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, CUPE Ontario passed a resolution committing itself to “Conduct member education about the history of Israel’s occupation and colonization of Palestine, Canada’s complicity and what trade unions can do to support a just peace.” CUPE then encouraged its Ontario locals to “participate in Palestinian solidarity actions.”

Since CUPE represents more than 63,000 members in the post-secondary sector, including universities, colleges and student-led organizations, it comes as no surprise that the pro-Palestinian anti-Israel protests have found a comfortable home on campuses across the country. The woke left that has been so fast to condemn racism and hatred has embraced the world’s oldest hatred.

Some members of CUPE, such as Carrie Silverberg, are speaking out against this campaign. She has filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, which has been joined by at least 80 other union members. She might receive a financial reward that acknowledges the pain and suffering she experienced, though it may not be enough to stop a campaign that has been almost 30 years in the making.

Article content

Several years ago, while visiting Berlin, I went to the Holocaust memorial. At first sight, there is nothing remarkable about the memorial. It is situated in a public square, similar in size to the one located at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, and it contains blocks that form a maze. At the edges of the square, the blocks are not more than a foot or so in height. It initially appears that all the blocks are about the same height, until you start walking down through the maze towards the centre. It becomes darker as you walk because the blocks get larger and larger, blocking out the light.

The tour guide explained that the monument is intended to be experiential. The slow descent into the darkness reflects what happened in Germany after the intentional and systematic dehumanization of German Jews through propaganda and actions by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The darkness extended beyond the regime to universities, businesses and newspapers. The Holocaust memorial serves as a reminder of how communities can turn on each other, and the importance of vigilance if we are to ensure a civil society.

Article content

Our civility between communities in Canada is under threat. Antisemitism has infected unions, academic institutions, communities, political parties, and some parts of the mainstream media.

I was recently campaigning in my community — I am the Conservative candidate for Toronto’s Eglinton-Lawrence riding — and, as part of the process, volunteers go door to door and ask people about their voting intentions. I was with a volunteer, who was also Jewish. A voter asked me about my position on the Middle East. I told her I supported Israel. She was a younger woman with two small children. In front of her kids, she called me disgusting. In that act, she taught her children it was OK to be disgusted with someone who supports Israel.

I’m not Jewish, but I worry about our national descent into that maze I experienced years ago in Berlin.

It is not clear how Hahn can be impeached as CUPE Ontario’s president, but his actions certainly violate his union’s own code of conduct. Hopefully, Silverberg’s human rights complaint will be successful, and Hahn will be held accountable. As long as he is allowed to continue as president, the antisemitic rot within Canada’s largest union will continue.

Article content

In the meantime, it is a relief the national executive is calling for Hahn’s resignation, and with any hope, he will heed the call. Getting rid of him is just the first step in a process to hold those who have been spreading hate to account. Other institutions would be wise to follow suit.

National Post

Karen Stintz is a former city councillor and is the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence in the next federal election.

Article content