That Hugely Principled Liberal Government of Canada

"We are troubled that Mr. Guillet defended his previous statements in celebration of the release of an Islamist leader with ties to Hamas who repeatedly incited violence against Israelis and engaged in anti-Semitic blood libels against Jews."
David Ouellette, director, research and public affairs, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

"The reality for the Jewish community across Canada, however, is that Guillet's views are part of a disturbing and growing trend. Guillet, an imam from Quebec, was found to have made comments on social media that lauded terrorism against Israel and claimed that 'Zionists' were controlling the foreign policy of the United States. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs alerted the Liberals [government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] to Guillet's views in June -- a plea that fell on deaf ears."
"The fact that it took Justin Trudeau's Liberals more than two months to decide that his [Guillet's] comments disqualified him from carrying their banner should give every Canadian pause. The delay in taking action suggests the Liberals were OK with this as long as they didn't get caught."
Chani Aryeh-Bain, Peter Kent, Conservative Party of Canada


"The party either knew or should have known what it [social media background] contained. Why, then, if these words were so problematic, why was my candidacy ... accepted?"
"One is entitled to ask the question, was it incompetence or bad faith?"
"I am not anti-Semitic. On the contrary, I campaigned and I will always campaign against all forms of racism, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism."
Hassan Guillet, Saint-Leonard-Saint-Michel riding, Quebec

At a news conference Wednesday, Imam Hassan Guillet said he and his team are exploring all options after the Liberals terminated his candidacy in a Montreal riding. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

According to Hassan Guillet himself, the imam who was expecting the Liberal Party of Canada to rubber-stamp his nomination to run in a traditionally Italian Montreal riding but which is now home to as many Muslims as Italians, he is confused and disappointed to have been informed the very day he anticipated the nomination to be finalized, that the Liberal party had no intention now of having him run to represent the party in the riding.

He insists the principals in the Liberal party tasked with oversight on nominations were well aware of social media posts under his name, which have turned out to be rather controversial. He had met officials with the federal Liberal party in early August, when a discussion of the posts took place with the Liberals reassuring him that they believed he was neither racist nor anti-Semitic. However, once B'nai Brith alerted the Liberals in early September to the presence of the posts, the last one of which had been posted in 2017, action was taken to disown Imam Guillet.

He was given an hour, he stated, to chose which avenue he would prefer; to resign for personal reasons, or to be removed by the party, as one of their candidates for the upcoming October federal election. As far as Imam Guillet is concerned, his public posts were accessible and a background check would have revealed their presence. Still, he had been approached in 2017 by the Liberal party to consider representing the riding as a Liberal candidate.

 In July of 2017 the release from prison of Raed Salah, a Hamas-linked militant was 'welcomed' by Imam Guillet, congratulating Salah on his being freed from a "prison of occupied Palestine", and he prayed that one day he would succeed in liberating "all of Palestine", describing Salah as a "resistance fighter", and a "jihadist". He repeated the ancient blood libel that Jews used the blood of gentile children to make Passover matzoh.

"Zionists", he claimed, controlled American foreign policy. When this issue was first reported in mainstream news media all these details were referred to as "alleged" issues. The clear slant toward anti-Semitism was characterized as "insensitive" by the commenting Liberal party. Which isn't as strange as it might seem under this administration; unlike the previous Conservative-led government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, when Canada was officially a firm supporter of Israel's right of existence.