Acting Primate Anne Germond and National Bishop Susan Johnson have co-signed a letter (see below) to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling for “a full and sustained ceasefire, for the release of all captives, for the immediate flow of lifesaving food, water, aid, fuel and humanitarian assistance for the millions of Gazans suffering at this time, for an end to all arms transfers to Israel, and the end of occupation.”
The letter also expresses disappointment in Canada’s abstention from the Sept.18 United Nations motion calling on Israel to end its “unlawful presence” in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The letter further calls on the government of Canada to uphold international law.
Anne Germond and Susan Johnson have also signed the Canadian Christian declaration on antisemitism. The declaration was initiated by Rev. Andrew Bennet, former Canadian ambassador of religious freedom, in response to the Statistics Canada data showing a 71% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2023. The declaration condemns this rise in antisemitism and affirms that the Christian leaders who have signed it stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with their “Jewish cousins.” Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee has also signed the declaration.
