Liberal political parties have traditionally been able to count
Mention the Conservative Party of Canada to the average Jewish voter walking down Bathurst Street these days and you are like- ly to get an earful about how the commu- nity and Stephen Harper are bashert. “One thing that everyone would say is
that Stephen Harper is the best Canadian prime minister for Israel ever,” says Max- ine Povering, echoing what many commu- nity members are saying is fast becoming a given for an increasing number of Cana- dian Jews. Povering, a Tornhill real estate agent
in her 50s hasn’t voted Liberal in nearly 20 years. She sums up her feelings about Harper by saying, “Harper’s not afraid to show his support for Israel publicly.” A former Jewish community lobbyist
who prefers to remain anonymous calls it a “seismic shiſt” for a community that was
tied at the hip to the Liberal Party of Can- ada for decades. He agrees that this new- found Conservative support mostly boils down to Canada’s 22nd prime minister. “Stephen Harper didn’t shiſt Canada’s ap-
proach to Israel because of votes,” he says. “He did it because he is passionate about the State and how it serves as a beacon of de- mocracy in a sea of hostility. Te Canadian Jewish community has been blown away by Harper’s unwavering support for Israel.” For Tornhill MP Peter Kent, there is one
major difference between Prime Minister Harper and his Liberal predecessors. “Unlike the Liberal years when prime
ministers said one thing at the annual B’nai Brith dinner and quite another in Ottawa, our government has been a staunch, prin- cipled, and unequivocal supporter of Israel and a leading voice condemning those who
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada 24 friday night Winter 2011 Photographs by The Canadian Press
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