MP's petition to investigate Canadians who served in IDF is 'antisemitic witch hunt,' Jewish group says

A petition pushing for investigations into and even charges against Canadians who served in Israel’s military is an “antisemitic witch hunt,” says a Jewish advocacy group.

The Jan. 7 petition, sponsored by Alberta MP Heather McPherson and directed at the Minister of Justice, alleges that there is “credible evidence of serious violations of international law by the IDF in the Middle East” that suggests the involvement of Canadian citizens or residents. McPherson is also an NDP leadership candidate.

The petition calls upon the Canadian government to “direct the Canada Border Services Agency to screen Canadian citizens/residents returning from Israel for foreign military service,” to issue “warnings that Canadians serving/volunteering with the IDF may face criminal liability under Canadian law” and to create a website “to collect information from Gaza/West Bank war crime victims/witnesses.”

The petition “unduly singles out Jewish and Zionist Canadians, by making unfounded accusations against them” and “problematically insinuates that service in the IDF necessitates a degree of culpability,”  B’nai Brith Canada’s CEO Simon Wolle told National Post.

Wolle pointed out that the RCMP already launched a structural investigation into the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a news release from June 2025, the RCMP said it had not identified anyone who committed “core international crimes,” and thus had not initiated a criminal investigation into any Canadian.

“Canadian IDF veterans are no different than any other foreign veterans who have made Canada their home,” said Wolle.

“Malicious attempts to prosecute them contribute to an environment where Jewish and Zionist Canadians are increasingly persecuted for their beliefs. This petition should be denounced by MPs for what it is, a baseless attempt to incite against and ostracize Canadians who support the existence of a Jewish nation state.”

McPherson did not respond to National Post’s request for comment.

In November, she released a statement saying she was concerned about IDF soldiers visiting Canadian universities and condemned them for “platforming” the soldiers. The statement came the same week that five people were arrested at an anti-Israel protest at an off-campus event hosted by Jewish students from Toronto Metropolitan University.

McPherson said she would be raising her “concerns with the Canadian government that IDF soldiers are freely touring Canadian universities while the genocide continues.”

Shai DeLuca is a Canadian-Israel who served in the IDF from 1995 to 1998. “Let me be absolutely clear: this does not make me ashamed of who I am or what I did. It does the opposite. It makes me more all the more proud,” the 48-year-old told National Post. He is a designer and on-air expert on Canadian lifestyle television program, The Morning Show.

“No individual in Alberta, no province in Canada, and no foreign political movement gets to lecture Jews or Israelis about our service or our right to self-defense,” he said.

He referred to his service as “one of the proudest accomplishments” of his life.

“The IDF is not a militia, not a rogue group…It is Israel’s lawful military, recognized as such under international law,” he said.

“History teaches us to be very clear-eyed about what happens when people begin compiling lists of Jews based on identity, association, or service. We have seen this before, including in Canada and it has never been about justice. It has always been about targeting.”

In February 2025, National Post reported on a publication that created a list of Canadian Jews who served in the IDF. DeLuca was one of the then-85 Canadians included. National Post reported last month that the same publication went on to create a database of Jewish institutions “associated” with the IDF, including summer camps, schools and synagogues.

“We will not be intimidated into silence, and we will not disavow our own legitimacy to satisfy those who deny it,” said DeLuca, about McPherson’s petition.

The CEO of Jewish advocacy group Tafsik, Amir Epstein, said that the petition is a “transparent attempt to appease radical ideologues by targeting law-abiding Canadian citizens.”

“It is telling that the MP expresses no concern over the presence of ISIS or
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated individuals in Canada, yet seeks to criminalize young Canadians who stepped up to rescue hostages and combat terrorism,” he said.

He said the Tafsik Organization views it as “shameful harassment of the Jewish community.” He added that Tafsik would offer its legal service pro bono to “any lone soldier targeted by these baseless and discriminatory efforts.”

“We trust that the moral integrity of the Canadian people will ultimately reject this divisive rhetoric,” he said.

Meanwhile, Richard Marceau, the senior vice president for strategic initiatives and general counsel for CIJA, told National Post that McPherson should “focus on issues that matter to Canadians, not on rhetoric that demonizes Jewish Canadians.”

“Basely attacking members of the Jewish community who have honourably served the Jewish people and a democratic ally of Canada, in an effort to pander to extremists, is reprehensible,” said Marceau.

“At a time of rising hate and violence, as we have recently seen in Australia, placing a target on the backs of Canadian citizens is dangerous. We call on Ms. McPherson to end this demonization before tragedy strikes.”

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