A network representing influential Canadian Muslim donors to the Liberal Party of Canada has dropped out of the ranks of the party’s top donors, citing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s disinclination to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, CBC News has learned.
In a formal letter sent to party president Sachit Mehra on November 27, the group — which calls itself the Network 100-GTA, London, Ottawa, Montreal and says it has 400 members — said it has called on Trudeau repeatedly to request a ceasefire.
“The Leader does not appear to be interested in truly listening, nor interested in giving true value to international Law, nor truly caring about the children of Gaza. With broken hearts, we must depart the Laurier Club,” the group wrote.
“The idea that this situation will all be forgotten in two years is an extremely risky and unwise strategy for the Party. The scale of the humanitarian loss is simply unprecedented.”
The donor group is made up mostly of Canadian Muslim professionals, such as lawyers and doctors. Formed in December 2014, the group helped Justin Trudeau to his first election victory in 2015.
The group says it has directed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party annually since December 2014. One member of the group — whose donation records CBC News verified with Elections Canada — has contributed nearly $19,000 to the Liberals since the group’s foundation.
The Laurier Club is the upper tier of Liberal Party donors. The party’s website says that to be eligible for the club, members must donate at least $1,700 per year.
Trudeau’s harshest criticism of Israel since its war with Hamas began came on November 14. He urged the country to use “maximum restraint.”
“The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop,” he told a news conference at the time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced his harshest criticism of Israel on November 14, when he urged the country to use “maximum restraint.” Trudeau also has said repeatedly Israel has a right to defend itself. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
Trudeau also has said repeatedly that Israel has a right to defend itself after the attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people on October 7.
Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said Israel has killed more than 17,000 people with its military response. It has not broken that estimate down into civilians and combatants; it claims most of those killed have been under 18. Public health experts have told the Reuters news agency Hamas kept accurate population numbers prior to this conflict.
Network members have spoken to Trudeau, Telford
Some members of the Network 100 have spoken directly to Trudeau and his chief of staff Katie Telford.
Other network members took part in a virtual meeting with Mehra on December 5.
One long-time party organizer and prominent Canadian Muslim told CBC News he told Mehra during the meeting that “the Liberals should not think that our community is going to forgive and forget.”
The organizer spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be identified and said they had agreed not to publicize the contents of the closed-doors meeting.
Sachit Mehra delivers a victory speech after being elected Liberal Party president during the final day of the Liberal Convention in Ottawa on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press)
The organizer described the conversation with Mehra as “very tough” and said it was difficult for members of the network because they consider him an “old friend.”
“We’re trying to plead with Sachit to recognize the train wreck that is before them,” the organizer said.
The organizer said they would let Mehra take the donors’ message to the Prime Minister’s Office and would give Trudeau until January to respond.
The organizer, a self-described founding member of Network 100, said the group might have to consider an escalation if Trudeau does not start calling for a ceasefire.
Next steps might include telling specific Liberal MPs the group will throw its support to NDP or Green Party candidates in certain ridings, since those two parties have called for a ceasefire, the organizer said.
CBC News ran the organizer’s name through Elections Canada’s database. The organizer alone has contributed more than $20,000 to the Liberals since December 2014, when the group began its donor activities.
If every member of the group cuts the Liberals off, the party could find itself short at least $680,000 annually. The party raised $14.5 million last year, according to Elections Canada.
Pro-Israel protesters, left, argue with pro-Palestinian protesters during a pro-Israel protest near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
The organizer who spoke to CBC also said the group could still support individual Liberal MPs who have openly called for a ceasefire.
They also said the party could lose more than just money. The organizer said Muslim communities heavily backed Trudeau in 2015 and Network 100 encouraged people to canvas for the party door to door.
The organizer said a lot could change for Liberal candidates in key swing ridings in southern Ontario if 1,000 erstwhile campaign volunteers decide to stay home.
Protests add pressure on Trudeau to call for ceasefire
As the death toll in Gaza climbs, outcry in Canada is adding to the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call for a ceasefire.
Another member of the Network 100, Mohamad Abokasem, told CBC News he has lost faith in Trudeau and a change in the prime minister’s position on a ceasefire now would be unlikely to mend the rift.
“We believed the promises that Justin Trudeau as a brand was marketing in 2014,” Abokasem said, citing Trudeau’s stated commitment to human rights and renewing Canada’s presence on the international stage.
“We’re not asking him to take sides. I don’t want him to support Palestinians or Jews. It’s not about that. It’s about us as people, it’s about the civilian casualties,” Abokasem said.
“We cannot sleep at night imagining [that], by the time you sleep and get up, there’s at least 50 Palestinians getting killed on the ground,” he said, adding that he and his family fled Gaza as refugees when he was a child.
Bad timing for the Liberals
The move by the Network 100 comes at a vulnerable moment for the Liberals, who have lost ground to the federal Conservatives in voting intention surveys for several months in a row. Most polls currently show the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre would win an election if one were to be held right now.
Shachi Kurl, the president of the Angus Reid Institute, said the Liberals can’t afford to lose mass Muslim support in this context.
“It adds to the pressure. It adds to the continuum and particular mix of pressures,” she said.
“The Muslim diaspora in Canada tends to lean more left than right and tends to have a higher level of support for the Liberal Party than the Conservative Party. But where the X factor exists is in the potential for the NDP to pick up or take back some support from the Liberals on this issue electorally.
“The prime minister is probably not making anybody as happy as they would like to be.”
Gould on ‘hard conversations’ about Israel-Hamas war
House Leader and Liberal MP Karina Gould says her party is open to having tough discussions over the Israel-Hamas war. The party faces the loss of some influential Canadian Muslim donors over its position on Gaza and decision to not call for a full ceasefire.
Government House leader Karina Gould said the war is forcing the Liberals to have “hard conversations.”
“There’s a really awful situation happening in the Middle East and we are having those hard conversations, both internally but also with our donors and supporters,” she told reporters outside the House of Commons on Friday. “And that’s something that we’re going to continue to do.”
In a statement, the Liberal Party did not answer specific questions about its relationship with Canadian Muslims.
“Canadians choose to donate to political parties for a variety of reasons, including to support a specific cause or policy position,” wrote the party’s director of communications Parker Lund.
“The Liberal Party of Canada is powered by individual Canadians chipping in what they can to help build a better future for everyone — and we work very hard to engage our supporters on their priorities to keep moving forward.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.
It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.
While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.
The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.
Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’
Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.
Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.
“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”
Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.
But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.
It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.
“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”
Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media
In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.
White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.
Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.
“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”
___
Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.
The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
