My latest: when a union loses its mind

Full disclosure: I’ve been a member of a union. I’ve advised unions, for many years. I believe unions play a critical role in protecting workers and their families.

But what happens when a union loses its mind?

Because, make no mistake, the Ontario branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has. It has embraced madness.

Some background: Iran is considered to have the worst human rights record in the world, or close to it. Iran’s Islamist rulers murder, torture, imprison, dismember, rape and brutalize their own people, all the time.

Human Rights Watch – like all the other watchdogs – say that Iran is guilty of “excessive and lethal force, torture, sexual assault, and other serious abuses.” In Iran, a person can be eliminated for expressing opposition to the Iranian dictatorship. A woman can be killed for refusing to wear a hijab, a man for being a gay.

Which brings us back to CUPE, and their leader, Fred Hahn. This fact is relevant: Hahn is a gay man. He proudly describes himself as the “first openly gay president in CUPE.”

That’s good. That’s positive. That’s an achievement. So why would an openly gay man want to celebrate Iran? Because, on Sunday, that’s what Fred and CUPE intend to do.

On Sunday, Hahn and CUPE have advertised they are holding a rally in support of Iran outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto. “HANDS OFF IRAN,” the poster reads, with CUPE’s official logo affixed to the bottom.

Since October 7, 2023 – when Hamas killed, wounded, raped or kidnapped thousands of Israelis and non-Israelis – Canada and the West have descended, ever-deeper, into a madhouse without walls. CUPE, public sector unions, academics, NGOs, charities and plenty of Gen Z and Millennials have moved from being anti-Israeli-government (which is fine) to antisemitic (which isn’t).

They have claimed to be concerned about the plight of Palestinians. That, perhaps, can be spun. But supporting the Iranian regime? That can’t be spun. That can’t be rationalized. That is indefensible.

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