Hong Kong newspaper profile

Canadian Press: Activists call on feds to put pressure on Israel over treatment of Gaza aid flotilla

Canadian activists detained by Israel last month while taking part in an aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza say Canada isn’t doing enough to call out treatment by Israeli officials that Ottawa has called appalling.

While Israel has rejected claims of abuse, flotilla participant Ehab Lotayef said Wednesday Israeli officials beat him on the chest and ribs, put him in uncomfortable positions for long periods and slashed his hand when he tried to help a fellow detainee.

“We felt that we were let down by Canada before anybody else, to be honest, because the Canadian government knew all that was happening,” Lotayef told a news conference on Parliament Hill.

“When we needed them was when we were being tortured — and the whole world knew that that was happening.”

Activist flotillas have tried repeatedly to reach the Gaza Strip to draw attention to tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies for Palestinians. Israel has intercepted these boats, often in international waters.

Lotayef was one of 12 Canadians among 420 flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities last month. Their detention gained international notoriety when Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://cheknews.ca/activists-call-on-feds-to-put-pressure-on-israel-over-treatment-of-gaza-aid-flotilla-1328346/

CPAC: NDP MPs Hold a News Conference with Gaza Flotilla Activists

On Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan holds a news conference with Canadians who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver aid to Gaza. She is joined by NDP MP Heather McPherson and former diplomat Richard Kohler.

*Click image or link to watch the press conference video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mps-hold-a-news-conference-with-gaza-flotilla-activists--june-3-2026?id=3bf3339c-a503-4cc2-828e-b0290ad9a424

Yahoo News: Bill C-22: NDP MP Jenny Kwan slams Lawful Access Act as 'most invasive piece of legislation'

Critics warn the controversial bill would give sweeping powers to Canadian security intelligence and law enforcement, jeopardizing the privacy and civil liberties of citizens.

This week, Bill C-22, formally called the Lawful Access Act, is moving through Parliament. The bill, which is currently being reviewed, was introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government this past March, and is aiming to update criminal and national security laws for the digital age. The legislation would grant law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) new powers as well as access to digital data and meta data.

Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver-East, says we shouldn’t be fooled by the bill’s promises on the surface. She agrees that in this modern age, because of changes in technology, we need to modernize our lawful access approaches so that the policies in intelligence agencies can do their work.

“But effective policing and intelligence work can and should operate within a robust legal framework that preserves judicial oversight and limits data collection to what is strictly necessary,” she tells me from her constituency office. “This bill fails: It lowers the threshold for access to personal information. It expands executive authority over digital infrastructure. It mandates and enables large-scale data retention, and increases systematic exposure of private communications.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://ca.news.yahoo.com/bill-c-22-ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-slams-lawful-access-act-as-most-invasive-piece-of-legislation-132532250.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK_uGIKQSU7dt0CpvhZ2cYzqc4_8YtxtaJ5JD5W3hEmlh2fQ2qcdKT9UH9_KuDrEkbM-79IZAg4jMWFobdgNmJCdbnv3p8-Tf-d5oyf9yK9E32nRnnbTyAzsVx1YRB07XbLh_crhXtu3G0Ng3OlVt3BnZDu16TejlOl_KCskwBZ9