The Jewish Federation of Ottawa, represented by CEO Adam Silver, Vice Chair Danya Vered, Advocacy Specialist David Sachs, VP of Communications Pauline Colwin, and Communications Specialist Ethan Rode, hosted four candidates from the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario to discuss some of the issues faced by the Jewish community of Ottawa.

Scott Phelan (Kanata Carleton), Alex Lewis (Nepean), George Darouze (Carleton), and Stephan Plourde (Orléans) came to the meeting prepared to learn more from the community about how they could better serve its needs if elected.

Phelan, who serves on the Ottawa Catholic School Board as a trustee, brings with him knowledge of the education system and its importance in shaping young minds. Lewis, who is an officer on the Ottawa Police Force, knows firsthand how intense the antisemitic protests have been and the need to quell the extremism that has been observed.

Plourde, who also has a background in public safety, served as a colonel in the Canadian Forces Health Services. His background in defence informs his understanding of the need for more security around vulnerable populations.

Darouze currently serves as a city councillor for Osgoode Ward and has therefore also seen firsthand the virulent antisemitism that has increased drastically since October 7. He hopes his work in local politics will allow him to be a bridge for all communities in Ottawa.

Husien Abu Rayash (Ottawa West-Nepean) had also hoped to attend the roundtable but could not due to illness and sent a representative in his place.

Though none are incumbents in their respective ridings, they brought unique perspectives from their professional lives, ranging from local politics to public safety.

When it came to addressing issues of public safety and protecting the community, Lewis described what should be done to extinguish the violence and hatred Ottawans have grown accustomed to seeing.

"The things we're seeing at these protests are troubling," said Lewis. "I want to see swift action taken so that these protests aren't able to get as big as they have become." 

With his extensive background in law enforcement, Lewis argued that there need to be more tools for police to better handle these protests and that bylaws must be strengthened when it comes to protesting rules.

Phelan spoke to the importance of the education system playing a role in preventing hate from getting out of hand in that sector and how re-introducing law enforcement officers within the school board could help mitigate some of these concerns.

"Within this city, we've gotten away from a few things," he said. "School resource officers are a very important feature that has to come back to all school boards in Ottawa. They get to know some of the usual suspects who are causing issues within the schools."

The talk of upholding laws and getting more resources for police segued into creating safe zones for all institutions that affect vulnerable populations, such as schools, houses of worship, and long-term care facilities. 

"This is not unlike the demonstrations we saw during the pandemic around healthcare facilities," said Plourde. "People should absolutely feel safe when going to their houses of worship, so it makes sense to me that there should be no-go zones."

When it comes to demonstrations at post-secondary institutions, the situation is more complicated.

"Someone who is a key communicator in the academic realm should have accountability for what one says in their capacity as a professor," said Plourde. "We sometimes run into that danger of the power of the pulpit when you're given a captive audience. My view is that teachers and professors need to abide by a code of conduct as a conditional requirement."

"Any college or university should be able to deliver safety for their students," Darouze agreed. "We all send our kids to the same institutions, and so they should be held accountable. Our government would support that, and it would affect how we fund those institutions."

Anti-hate rules are in place across the province, but since Jewish Canadians are disproportionately affected by religiously motivated hate crimes, according to the 2023 Hate Crimes Statistics Report released by the Ottawa Police Service, the need for a more integrated approach between Jewish organizations and all levels of government is crucial.

"I believe in community safety," said Darouze. "And I believe in working together because it is our community. We need to protect it for our children."

To find out more about the Progressive Conservative platform, click here.