Conservative candidate Mark Adler is defending a reference to the Holocaust on his campaign signage, which has led to claims that he’s exploiting an atrocity to win votes in the Toronto riding of York Centre.
A photo of one of Adler’s campaign signs has been making the rounds online; the sign makes the observation that he is “the son of a Holocaust survivor.” It caught the eye of The Walrus’ editor-in-chief Jonathan Kay, who posted photos of the sign on Twitter Sunday.
“Who needs Yad Vashem when Holocaust awareness is now being promoted on partisan Conservative signage?” Kay wrote on Twitter.
“My father came to Canada after surviving the horrors of a Nazi death camp, and chose Canada based on the values that continue to unite us: democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law.” – Mark Adler
In a statement to iPolitics, Adler — who didn’t directly address the criticism of his sign — said that throughout his life he’s advocated for Holocaust remembrance, “so that all Canadians will remember the great evil of the Second World War and never forget.”
“My father came to Canada after surviving the horrors of a Nazi death camp, and chose Canada based on the values that continue to unite us: democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” wrote Adler.
Adler said he is proud to serve Canada and deliver on the priorities of residents in York Centre “including advocacy for the security of the state of Israel, and the promotion of democratic values abroad,” and that he shares the concern of residents who are alarmed by the global campaign to isolate and denounce Israel, and “the moral relativism that was embraced by past governments who equivocated on the defense of the Jewish state.
“I am proud of my family heritage, and will never forget the sacrifice of my forefathers who faced persecution simply because of their faith.”
[Former Liberal MP Raymonde] Folco told The CJN that it’s “disgusting” for Adler to use the Holocaust “for personal ends” and to try to “profit” from it.
Adler, who has claimed that he is “the first child of a Holocaust survivor ever to be elected as an MP,” learned Monday from The Canadian Jewish News that the distinction actually belongs to former Liberal MP Raymonde Folco, who was elected to Parliament in 1997.
“Mme. Folco, like my family, faced unspeakable atrocities, and we will never forget the somber story that unites our experience. That is why I am doubly resolved to continue to be a steadfast defender of Israel, and champion of freedom for those facing persecution in an increasingly insecure world,” said Adler.
Folco told The CJN that it’s “disgusting” for Adler to use the Holocaust “for personal ends” and to try to “profit” from it.
“Whether he is the first or 15th, I should think it is your record that matters: what you’ve done and what you intend to do for Canadians, when elected,” she told The CJN.
Published in partnership with iPolitics.ca.
