British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal to expedite hearing of complaint from Jewish teachers’ group – BC News

Photo: The Canadian Press

A group of British Columbia teachers say the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has agreed to speed up their anti-Semitism complaint against their union as more allegations surface. The office that houses the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nono Shen

A group of teachers says the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has agreed to speed up its review of an anti-Semitism complaint against their union as allegations mount.

Vancouver labor lawyer Paul Palver, who represents British Columbia Teachers Against Antisemitism, filed a complaint this year against what he called the “erasure of Jewish and Zionist voices and opinions” at the British Columbia Federation of Teachers and its members’ workplaces. .

The group claims the union has “ostracized” teachers either because they are Jewish or because they hold “currently unpopular views” about Jews, Israel or the October 7 Hamas attacks.

His initial complaint, filed over the summer, cited more than two dozen examples of alleged anti-Semitism caused or facilitated by the teachers union.

BC Federation of Teachers president Clint Johnston said in a statement that he takes the concerns raised in the complaint very seriously and will participate in the tribunal “in a spirit of goodwill.”

In a statement released Friday, Pulver said another teacher is joining the complaint after attending a professional development day in October, where she was forced to leave when she raised questions about the federation’s position on the Middle East conflict.

He says the teacher, like others involved in the complaint, “no longer see a path to prosperity in their teaching career.”

“The harassment at the October event is yet another case of discrimination against teachers who disagree with BCTF’s indoctrination and promotion of anti-Semitism,” Pulver said in the release.

“They are pleased that the Tribunal has recognized the urgency of their concerns and they look forward to reaching a resolution that meets their needs and the needs of the students and families who depend on them.”

In a statement, Johnston said the federation firmly believes racism has no place in schools or communities.

“As we engage in this process, we will not publicly address the issues raised in today’s BCTAA statement,” he said on Friday.

“However, we can say that we will continue to work wholeheartedly with our members, including BCTAA members, on these difficult issues.”