MP Kody Blois (Kings-Hants), joined by his wife Kim, took an all-expense paid trip to Israel in July 2023.  The Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a Canadian pro-Israel lobby group, paid for the trip as it has done for about 800 other Members of Parliament over the last 50 years.  And that does not include the hundreds of university presidents and professors, “thought” leaders and cultural icons who have also taken free trips to Israel over that time.  Nearly 25% of today’s sitting MPs have taken free trips to Israel courtesy of CIJA. 

…a lobbyist should “Never provide any gift – directly or indirectly – to an official that you lobby or expect to lobby, other than a low-value gift that is a token of appreciation….”

2023 Lobbyist Code of Conduct, rule 3.1

MP Blois’ eight-day trip for two cost $23,900 – about $3,000 a day.  Isn’t that a potential conflict of interest?  The 2023 Lobbyist Code of Conduct’s rule 4.3 states that lobbyists should not create a situation where the MP could be “reasonably seen” to have a “sense of obligation” towards the lobbying interest.  Rule 3.1 states that a lobbyist should “Never provide any gift – directly or indirectly – to an official that you lobby or expect to lobby, other than a low-value gift that is a token of appreciation….”

The trip was a huge gift, or benefit  – and it is very likely to have created a “sense of obligation”, suggests Rob Parker of the Hants County Coalition for Peace and Human Rights.  “We believe that this represents a possible quid pro quo.  We also believe that, given the context of serious war crimes and possibly genocide, that this transaction warrants serious scrutiny.”  

Indeed, since returning from his trip in late July, MP Blois has wasted little time in beating the drum for Israel.  A tweet by Mr Blois on Oct. 8, 2023, reads, “The images from Israel are horrific. Its’ disappointing to see celebrations in Canada of the indiscriminate mass killing of innocent civilians. We need to separate the deeply important question of Palestine’s future and a true peace process from Hamas’ brutality and terrorism.” 

Parker said he had no idea whom his MP was referring to, but when Parker inquired, Blois provided no answer. 

Blois seems to have returned, singing from the CIJA songbook.  

On Oct. 17, Blois was the only Liberal MP who crossed party lines to join Conservatives in asking that the CBC refer to Hamas as “terrorists.” The CBC, as well as the BBC in the UK and other respectable broadcasters do not label militants on any side of a conflict as “terrorists.” 

In a Nov. 19 letter to Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs (available on request), Blois noted (with no evidence) that “Hamas is locating its armaments near hospitals, schools and aid organizations,” so he could not support a ceasefire.  Instead, he supported a “humanitarian pause”.  He wrote, “…the idea of a complete ceasefire implies the inability to continue to seek to dismantle Hamas.” 

Blois says that Israel’s atrocities are “interventions” though he admits Israel may have acted “outside of international law”. 

Federal lobbying records reveal that CIJA’s Shimon Fogel met with Blois in April, 2023, three months prior to his trip to Israel.  Fogel’s monthly Communication log noted that they discussed the following at their meeting: “National Security/Security, International Trade, International Relations, Religion, Arts and Culture, Education, Housing and Infrastructure”.  

However, Mr Blois’ parliamentary role is in no way associated with any of the discussion points, nor international politics or the Middle East.  In Parliament, MP Blois is the chair of the Liberals’ Atlantic Caucus, and is chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. 

Twenty-two percent, or 73 sitting MPs have taken junkets to Israel – which often involve a daytrip to East Jerusalem and Bethlehem both part of the Occupied West Bank.  According to Davide Mastracci, opinion editor at the Maple , the Public Registry at the website for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner lobbyist registry found that CIJA has sponsored those trips which cost nearly $900,000 – or an average of $12,257 per MP trip.  

The MPs on these junkets to Israel were from all the parties:  35 Tories went, 32 Liberals, 3 in the BQ, 2 in the NDP and one independent took the trips.  But I doubt that CIJA is going to stop its trips—temporarily yes, but in the long-run no.  My husband calls them Junkets for Genocide – and we’ll see the junkets  start up once Israel has starved the 1.5 million Gazans to death.  

Though it is rare, a leopard can change its spots (see my last blog post here).  Two hundred and four MPs, including Mr Blois, voted yes to the amended NDP motion for a ceasefire and stopping  the further transfer of arms to Israel —something a mere three months ago he refused to support.   He justified his going on the trip by telling a public audience in Lantz, East Hants last month “I have Jewish people in my riding.”  I’m sure Blois has Iranians in his riding as well, but I’m pretty sure he would never take a freebie trip to Tehran. 

The chart below was compiled by Davide Mastracci at The Maple, it’s here

Image at the top: Jaffa Gate for Vehicles, watercolour by Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall. Mr Forrestall, a renowned Canadian artist, was accompanied by his son Frank on a free trip to Israel (and Bethlehem) in 2010 sponsored by the Atlantic Jewish Council, for which “CIJA acts as the advocacy agent”. This is one of his watercolours from the show 35 Days in Israel, mounted at the Chase Gallery at the Nova Scotia Archives, in February 2011. At the time, Independent Jewish Voices-Halifax criticized Tom Forrestall for taking the free trip. To his credit, his response was that he was very “naive” in taking the free trip.