The Honest Report

In October, 2024, the Law Union of Ontario held their 50th anniversary conference, titled "Revolutionary Advocacy." Its keynote speaker was Harsha Walia, who is alleged to have led "Death to Canada" chants at an anti-Israel protest hosted by Samidoun, the designated terrorist organization. If an Ontario lawyer participated in that conference, they would have received credit from the Law Society of Ontario, and that infuriated Ontario human rights lawyer Bryant Greenbaum, who soon filed a complaint against the society for recognizing the validity of such an event and its speaker. But the LSO did not apologize or backtrack, which forced Greenbaum to take both them and the host, the Law Union of Ontario, to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

Public schools aren't just one front in the extremists' war against Israel and Jews in the Western world, it is one of the biggest opportunities. This is where anti-Israel activists have attempted to twist reality and demonize anyone who challenges their revisionist take on history, and where hateful students have taken out their anger at Israel on Jewish students. But now one lawyer is fighting back. After one Jewish girl in Mississauga, Ontario, was allegedly bullied by her peers - and while authorities allegedly did little to stop it - local lawyer Jamie Spotswood stepped in, and is suing the girl's teacher, principal and superintendent, as well as the Peel District School Board. He is working with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ Legal Task Force on the case. Jamie joins us on our podcast this week to discuss the case, and why it may open the door for more litigation elsewhere.

While it is anyone's guess whether the Iranian regime will survive the war with Israel, one thing is clear: that the Islamic Republic of Iran's control over its people is weaker now than it was in recent memory, and that means a lot of senior officials will be looking to make their exit. That deeply concerns people like Mojdeh Shahriari, an Iranian-Canadian lawyer in Vancouver and co-founder of StopIRGC, a group aimed at preventing members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime's military and security arm, from entering Canada. Mojdeh joined us to discuss the widespread presence that IRGC officials already have in Canada, the hands-off approach from political leaders that has allowed them to come and stay, and why a lot more of them will be attempting to make that move soon. Welcome to the Honest Report podcast.

Before October 7, 2023, and the Palestinian terrorist invasion of Israel that day, Jon Fraser was a technology executive, executive coach and keynote speaker in Toronto. He still is, but since then, living and working in downtown Toronto, he has become a vocal opponent of the regular hate rallies which have plagued the area over the last 20 months. Since then, under the permissive eye of law enforcement, politicians and with the silent approval of most news media outlets, these pro-Hamas rallies have been scenes of utter lawlessness. But Fraser, who has been a witness to it firsthand, has since become a prominent voice on social media, where he castigates authorities who have done nothing in the face of these hate rallies.

Masha Kleiner is a Vancouver-based software engineer, writer, blogger and rock climber. She had her hands full. But after Hamas' October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel, she found more time to do more, because more needed to be done. Since then, she has become a one-woman activist organization, spearheading pro-Israel rallies, direct action, educational and advocacy campaigns, petitions, counter-protests, stickers, and more. Masha's efforts, ranging from showing up to the University of British Columbia with a sign that says "I am a Zionist, ask me a question," to showing Canadian support for Israel in downtown Vancouver, have redefined pro-Israel efforts in the city, making them more vocal, more present, and more powerful. The lessons from her activism have also uncovered a truth unreported in the media: that small anti-Israel protests do not reflect the will of Canadians, as she has learned first-hand. Masha's story isn't just about one person, but about what others can do when they see a need not being addressed, and they step up to address it. Masha joins us as our guest this week.