The CJN's political panel reflects on a tumultuous year for Jews—and an even worse week for Justin Trudeau

The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner

High drama continues in Ottawa, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces loud calls from his own MPs and opposition leaders to step down, following the surprising resignation of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, from cabinet. Trudeau has so far withstood the criticism, shuffling his cabinet on Dec. 20—the same day that NDP leader Jagmeet Singh confirmed he would make a no-confidence vote as soon as Parliament resumes, on Jan. 27, sparking an election that the Liberals will almost certainly lose.

Amid the chaos, Jewish Canadians have been caught in the middle. Since Oct. 7, politicans' responses to the Israel-Hamas war—and the ensuring flood of violent antisemitic attacks on domestic soil—have sharply divided political parties and the public. As a result of the federal cabinet shuffle, the Montreal-area MP for Outremont, Rachel Bendayan, has been given two portfolios—official languages and associate minister for public security—and immediately revealed that she'd been tasked to convene a new national summit on antisemitism in the new year. But will the Liberal government even last that long?

As 2024 comes to a close, The CJN Daily called on its political panel to reflect on the tumultuous year that was—and kvell about their predictions from their last appearance on this program. They are David Birnbaum, former Liberal MNA for the Montreal riding of D’Arcy-McGee in the Quebec National Assembly; Emma Cunningham, the former NDP riding president in Pickering-Uxbridge who quit over antisemitism, and is now a school board trustee; and Stephen Adler, a Conservative insider and senior director at National Public Relations in Toronto.

What we talked about:

• Hear the political panel on The CJN Daily in 2023 to hear if their predictions came true.
• Ottawa is convening a second national antisemitism forum focused on policing and law enforcement, in The CJN.
• Why Canadians and Jews are turning their backs on the Liberals, on Bonjour Chai.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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