On Honest Reporting Canada’s website, in the section titled “Who We Are,” it states: “Honest Reporting Canada is an independent grass-roots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel, the Midd
On Honest Reporting Canada's website, in the section titled "Who We Are," it states: "Honest Reporting Canada is an independent grass-roots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel, the Middle East…" It also mentions that: "With the assistance of our over 70,000 members from coast to coast, HRC monitors the media…" What the page fails to disclose is that Honest Reporting Canada is a registered Canadian charity, a status which allows it to issue tax receipts for donations.
In my September 3 letter to the editor, I stated, "Let's talk about so-called Honest Reporting Canada. First of all, it is NOT a Canadian organization, but rather is a privately funded one, funded by whom, I'm sure we can accurately guess.” I would like to add to the information I previously provided: HRC’s charitable status means its fundraising is effectively subsidized by Canadian taxpayers. By not making this status clear on its website, HRC provides incomplete information to its readers.
In my opinion, HRC promotes what I and others consider to be anti-Palestinian racism and misinformation. These activities, subsidized by Canadian tax dollars, are of concern to many.
As journalist Antonia Zerbisias writes on her Facebook page: "Some of you might think that I am obsessed with getting disHonest Reporting Canada (HRC) off Revenue Canada's registered charity roll, which allows it to collect hundreds of thousands worth of tax-deductible donations to propagandize for a foreign state. How is that a charity? How is that of benefit to Canadians?"
A formal complaint has been submitted to the CRA regarding HRC's charitable status. For those wishing to learn more, an online letter campaign is available. An informative article on the topic by Israeli activist and writer Miko Peled is also available online at aa.com.tr.
As mentioned in my earlier letters, the group Sarnians4Palestine is helping families in Gaza.
On August 31, Ashraf Hussain from Gaza sent this message: "Why is this happening to us, my sister? Why all this suffering, killing, bombing, and death? Why do we live in terror every day? Why do we live in fear, fear of death, bombing, hunger, and fear for our families? Why do we live our lives trying to find a bite to eat in the midst of the bombing, death, risk, and shooting? You play with your life until you eat. Even with the opening of the crossings, very, very small quantities of food are entering, and even their prices have not decreased much. They are still more expensive than they were before the war, more expensive than normal."
"Where are the world governments and international organizations to protect us? We need protection. We are a defenseless people, civilians. We need protection. We need to obtain food supplies without killing, without death, without risk, fear, or anxiety."
You can help Ashraf’s family via their GoFundMe page.
Please also consider these families calling out for help. They are not supported by the S4P group, but their need is urgent:
Rabia Rizvi, Sarnia
