A newly announced permanent exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg is being met with heightened concern from Jewish groups.

“The Museum has allowed itself to become the tool, or dupe, of only one side of the story and thereby betrays its duty as a national institution to provide a common and inclusive meeting and educational space on the matter of human rights,” says Winnipeg lawyer, businessman and trustee at the Asper Foundation, David Asper, whose family led the museum’s founding in 2014.

Entitled “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present,” it is set to open in June 2026 focusing on the experiences of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the creation of Israel.

According to

the United Nations

, “Nakba” means “catastrophe” in Arabic and “refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war … In November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab … The Arab world rejected the plan, arguing that it was unfair and violated the UN Charter.”

Criticism has emerged from several Canadian Jewish organizations about the exhibit, arguing it risks presenting a one-sided or “politicized” version of events that could contribute to the delegitimization of Israeli statehood and potentially fuel antisemitism.

“The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has rightly earned an international reputation for its rigorous consultation processes that bring together subject-matter experts, affected communities, and individuals with lived experience to fulfill its mandate to ‘contribute to the collective memory and sense of identity of all Canadians’,” says the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs vice president in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Gustavo Zentner.

When the CIJA learned about the museum’s intention to profile the experiences of refugees from the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, “we immediately engaged with the Museum’s leadership,” he says. “We offered to convene leading experts to help ensure that any exhibit presents a balanced, fact-based, and comprehensive narrative, one that reflects the experiences of all refugees, including the more than 850,000 Jews forcibly displaced from long-established communities across the Middle East and North Africa.”

The Jewish community was not consulted, he adds.

“As currently framed, the proposed direction will deliver an incomplete and unbalanced narrative, one that omits Jewish refugee experiences entirely and will carry reputational consequences for the Museum. To ensure the Museum fulfills its mandate, we have requested information from its leadership about the exhibit’s content, framing, objectives, and development process, before any further steps are taken. We are actively working with our community and with partner institutions across Canada to demand accountability.”

CIJA Calls for Accountability in CMHR’s Proposed Exhibit

CIJA’s @GustavoZentner , Vice President, Manitoba and Saskatchewan issued the following statement:

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has rightly earned an international reputation for its rigorous consultation…

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) November 20, 2025

Meanwhile, the

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada

is moving to

suspend its partnership with the museum

since learning about the exhibit.

The JHCWC says it is “tremendously concerned” the exhibit may exclude the long history of Jewish displacement, events leading up to Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, and the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries in the mid-20th century.

The JHCWC also expressed concern the exhibit could overlook non-Jewish minorities who are Israeli citizen, including Muslim and Christian Arabs, Druze, Circassians and Samaritans – people who hold positions in the judiciary, parliament, health care and the military, and that their equal rights under Israeli law complicate common interpretations of the Nakba.

The centre notes previous exhibitions — including the Holocaust gallery — were organized with extensive consultation.

“I think what you’re seeing with the Jewish Heritage Centre is the manifestation of a fundamental breach of trust by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights,” says David Asper. “The factual, historical context of events surrounding the ‘Nakba’ are not just one story. In my father’s founding vision of the purpose of the Museum he never had a problem with the telling of the whole
story, which includes the displacement and expulsion of over 800,000 Jews who were living in Arab countries and, perhaps most importantly, that a lot of what happened was triggered by the fact that many Arab countries declared war and tried to conquer and eliminate Israel in 1948.”

The JHCWC is withdrawing from the International Holocaust Remembrance Day event on Jan. 27, which it had been coordinating with the CMHR. However, it

remains willing to meet with the CMHR

and hopes the museum will reevaluate its plans.

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s chief of staff, Marc-André Blanchard, drew a sharp rebuke from Conservatives on Thursday when he compared Carney’s sprawling conflicts of interests to Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff Nigel Wright’s situation.

Blanchard is one of two senior public servants who was called to testify at the ethics committee this week to discuss the review of the Conflict of Interest Act.

“Canadians chose Mark Carney as prime minister because of his deep experience in both the public and private sectors. In fact, they did not elect him in spite of his vast global private sector experience, but precisely because of it,” he said in his opening remarks.

“Canadians understood that if we are to build a stronger, more resilient economy, one worthy of being the strongest in the G7, this experience is not optional. It is essential.”

Prior to entering politics, Carney was chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, which has US$1 trillion in assets under management, and also helped lead efforts to raise capital for two major Brookfield clean energy funds. He was also on Stripe’s board of directors.

When he became Liberal leader in March, he put all his assets, other than his personal real estate, into a blind trust. In July, federal ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that he would have to respect an ethics screen with more than 100 companies.

The screen is meant to prevent any conflicts of interest with Brookfield Corporation, Brookfield Asset Management, Stripe Inc. and many more entities he has interests in.

Wright,

who died in September

, joined Harper’s office in 2010 after a long career in the private sector. He put his assets in a blind trust and was subject to an ethics screen to prevent him from being involved in discussions about his former employer, Onex.

At the time, opposition MPs joked that Wright

could not even order a pizza for the prime minister’s office

because one of Onex’s 40 firms was a pizza business.

“It’s exactly the same kind of case situation that you have with Prime Minister Carney,” said Blanchard, who referenced the now-deceased Wright’s situation multiple times during the meeting.

Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett said Wright was not the head of government, like Carney is.

“The chief of staff to the prime minister is not the prime minister, and the chief of staff to the prime minister does not have the ability to take the decisions and does not have the influence that the prime minister has,” he said.

Conservative MP Shuv Majumdar said Wright was “one of the most ethical people” he knew.

“The firm he represented was much more narrowly focused than the firm that Mr. Carney came from, which is very broad, affects a variety of sectors across the country,” he said.

“I think it’s a very different standard for the prime minister who decides versus a very senior advisor who advises.”

Speaking to the committee on Wednesday, the clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia — the other administrator of Carney’s extensive ethics screen — revealed that 13 files were flagged by his team as being potential conflicts of interest since he took the job in July.

Sabia defended the process, which he said is every bit as rigorous as the private sector.

“If there appears to be even a remote possibility that the screen may be needed, it is immediately put in place. Why? So that we always err on the side of caution,” he said.

Sabia said each of these 13 cases were brought to the ethics commissioner’s attention.

For seven of these files, the ethics screen was deemed not applicable. Five of them had no direct interaction with the more than 100 corporate entities listed as potential conflicts of interest for Carney, while two of them were fiscal measures with general applications.

For six of the 13 files, the ethics screen was applied which meant that Carney cannot be made aware of the discussions involving them before a decision is final and made public.

Sabia said those discussions are still ongoing which is why he could not share more. “In those circumstances, if we release that information, then we’ve defeated the purpose, because the prime minister would be aware of what those circumstances are,” he said.

The head of the public service said two instances in which the screen was applied and where a decision has already been made were about cross-border adjustments and a minor personal income tax change. He did not go into more detail about those changes.

Bloc Québécois MP Luc Thériault argued that the budget implementation act, for instance, implements tax credits for small modular nuclear reactors in Canada. One of the only companies making them is Westinghouse, in which Brookfield holds a majority stake.

Blanchard said that the ethics screen does not need to be triggered if it is a matter of “general application” — meaning that it can applies to all Canadians or all taxpayers.

It seemingly does not apply, either, for Carney’s personal communications such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s late-night text messages.

In that case, Blanchard said that Carney applies strict ethical rules for himself.

National Post

calevesque@postmedia.com

• Michael Sabia divested his Brookfield shares to ‘better manage’ Carney’s ethics screen
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Hundreds of delegates at a Francophonie conference hosted by Canada’s parliament in Montreal last spring went home with “musical spoons” ordered from Amazon at a cost of more than $1,300, according to federal financial reports.

Attendees at a Parliament-hosted NATO event in the city in November, meanwhile, were gifted scarves, lapel pins and pens in delegate bags on which Ottawa spent almost $25,000.

And that’s just a small portion of what former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government spent on the two events. Hundreds of thousands more were doled out for transportation, lavish meals and accommodations, other “hospitality” expenses.

In total, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) said Parliament spent more than $1 million, based on calculations from this fiscal year’s quarterly financial reports for conferences hosted by the Parliament of Canada.

“The government should be able to host conferences without ballooning the tab so extravagantly,” CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano told National Post in an interview.

“This is Canadians’ money. Canadians are going through a very difficult time. I think it’s time for a culture change within the federal bureaucracy.”

The first event was the 49th Annual Session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, July 5-8.

By the CTF’s calculations, double checked by National Post, the event ended up costing roughly $631,500, which includes expenses accrued by five parliamentary staffers during a site visit a month prior.

While accommodations and transportation for Canadian participants and staff accounted for more than $243,000 of that, the bulk — $357,000 — fell under “hospitality.”

That included about $198,000 to provide lunch and break food to 475 delegates over four days, almost $29,000 for dinner buffet and lunch boxes for 85 participants from a now-closed nearby Italian restaurant.

As highlighted by the CTF, the on-site restaurant Marche Artisans offers a $52 per person rate on its à la carte group menu.

“The government could have taken everyone out for lunch at The Keg, ordered the most expensive lunch meal on the menu, and still saved taxpayers money,” Terrazzano said.

Another $80,000 was dropped on a “cultural dinner” as the conference concluded.

While dining that night, attendees were treated to performances by Le Monastère, a Montreal-based circus-like performance group, and another by Les Rats d’Swompe, an Ottawa band that plays a blend of traditional folk, rock, pop, and punk. They were paid fees of $5,750 and $4,250, respectively.

An undisclosed number of “musical spoons” were also ordered for the dinner, costing $1,339.67. It’s not clear what music the utensils played.

“When the government is spending $1,300 of other people’s money on musical spoons, it sends the signal that government bureaucrats are looking for ways to waste other people’s money,” Terrazzano said.

A chunk of the money was paid out to staff, 27 of whom collected per diems worth a combined $20,000 and the CTF said “a total of 18 staff spent more than $3,000 each on accommodation,” costing an average of $750 per night.

Parliament also played host to the 70th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Nov. 22-25, with CTF determining its final bill to be $405,000.

After transportation ($54,000), accommodations ($63,000), and per diems ($21,400), “hospitality” made up the bulk of the expenses billed back to Ottawa by the 577 participants.

Posh Montreal seafood restaurant and oyster bar Maesto was paid more than $88,000 for health Breaks, a welcome reception and a single luncheon.

A dinner for 130 people at Mediterranean-inspired restaurant Pangea rang in at almost $16,000, another catered by Société Traiteur cost $11,500, and a final-night dinner reception was billed for over $94,000, which included a nearly $12,000 performance by Montreal contemporary circus company Cirque Éloize.

Assembly attendees were also provided delegate bags ($10,500) that contained scarves ($10,850), lapel pins ($2,500) and pens ($672).

Also included in the grand tally is a solo bureaucrat’s solo NATO “observation mission” to Sofia, Bulgaria in May, and a site visit to Montreal by nine parliamentary staff that cost over $15,000 between transportation, accommodations, per diems and hospitality.

Terrazzano said if the federal government is serious about saving money, it should start by cutting down on its conference bills.

“This type of spending is what infuriates Canadians,” he said.

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Recently resigned federal Liberal cabinet minister and former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland will be the next Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust, the U.K.-based global educational charity’s trustees announced Tuesday.

Freeland herself is a Rhodes Scholar, having obtained a master’s degree in Slavonic Studies from the University of Oxford’s St. Antony’s College, where the study focuses on international relations and regional studies.

“Having personally benefitted from a Rhodes Scholarship, I know how deeply transformative and influential it can be on the lives and futures of our Scholars,” Freeland stated in

a news release.

“The experience helped shape my international outlook and played a defining role in guiding my subsequent career.”

A portrait of Freeland still hangs on the campus.

Freeland spent her early career as a journalist reporting from Ukraine for outlets such as the Financial Times, The Economist and the Washington Post. She later served as the deputy editor of the Globe and Mail, the Financial Times’ U.S. managing editor, and the managing director at Thomson Reuters.

She entered politics in 2013 and would go on to hold several ministerial posts under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who eventually made her his deputy in 2019. The two had a falling out last December, at which time

she resigned her dual roles as deputy and minister of finance.

She later contended for the Liberal leadership, but lost to now-Prime Minister Mark Carney

Sir John Bell, Chairman of the Rhodes Trustees, said Freeland “has proven herself to be an outstanding leader with a remarkable ability to unite people around a common purpose — qualities that will serve the Trust exceptionally well.”

#RhodesScholar, Canadian politician, acclaimed journalist, and award-winning author Chrystia Freeland has been appointed as the next Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust.

Find out more >> https://t.co/aSmm3tiR8J pic.twitter.com/fBIXpa8uLb

— Rhodes Trust (@rhodes_trust) November 19, 2025

Rhodes House

is a historic building at Oxford that serves as the headquarters for the Rhodes Trust, one of the most prestigious international postgraduate scholarship programs in the world. It has been doling out endowments since 1903, bestowing the title of Rhodes Scholar upon thousands of individuals since.

As Warden and CEO answering to the board of trustees, Freeland will lead the Trust, managing its operations and strategy to ensure its academic, financial and cultural stability. She will also oversee the Scholar community at Oxford, part of which involves offering guidance on their selection.

The position, according to

Rhodes’ job posting,

is a full-time position with an initial term of five years, after which the board can choose to extend it.

When issued in March, the school anticipated the new Warden to begin this fall. Freeland, however, won’t take the reins until July 1, 2026.

The Toronto-area MP resigned from Carney’s cabinet in September and announced she would not seek re-election in the next federal election, which is not mandated until 2029.

“After twelve fulfilling years in public life, I know that now is the right time for me to make way for others and to seek fresh challenges for myself,” she wrote in a social media post.

Upon her resignation, the prime minister made her “Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine,” a diplomatic position that does not come with an office or staff.

Her portfolios of transport and internal trade were reassigned to Ministers Steve MacKinnon and Dominic LeBlanc, respectively.

Audrey Champoux from the Prime Minister’s Office told

National Post

that Freeland will report directly to Carney. Her duties will include working with Ukrainian officials on a plan to rebuild its economy, and liaising with Canadian business, academic and labour leaders and the Ukrainian-Canadian community.

Good to spend some time with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Andrii Plakhotniuk. A greatest generation of Ukrainians is emerging from the crucible of war; Canada stands with them and with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/MBmdTEZyO5

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) November 16, 2025

Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent and speaks the language, has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of the country.

A source close to Freeland, who was granted anonymity to discuss private discussions, told National Post at the time that she does not plan to stay on as MP until the next election and would be meeting with the University–Rosedale riding association to discuss resignation at her earliest opportunity.

National Post has contacted Freeland for comment.

At Rhodes House, Freeland will succeed Sir Rick Trainor, who has been serving in an interim capacity since January 2025 after Dr. Elizabeth Kiss resigned after six years.

Kiss was preceeded by the only other Canadian to take on the roles, Charles Conn, a conservationist and former Ticketmaster-Citysearch CEO with both Canadian and U.S. citizenship, who became the first from both countries when he was

hired in 2013

. He stepped down in 2018.

— With files from Christopher Nardi

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OTTAWA — The clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Sabia, is set to appear at the House of Commons ethics committee concerning the review of the Conflict of Interest Act but questions are expected to be focused on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s potential conflicts.

Sabia is one of two senior aides to Prime Minister Mark Carney who is authorized to administer his

extensive conflict-of-interest screen that applies to over 100 corporate entities

related to Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Corporation and Stripe Inc.

The other person authorized to administer this screen is Carney’s chief of staff, Marc-André Blanchard, who will be testifying at that same committee Thursday afternoon.

Carney’s sprawling business ties — and potential conflicts of interest as a result of those ties — have been under close scrutiny since he decided to run as Liberal leader.

Prior to entering politics, Carney was chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, which has US$1 trillion in assets under management, and also helped lead efforts to raise capital for two major Brookfield clean energy funds. He was also on Stripe’s board of directors.

On the day he was elected Liberal leader, he put all his assets, other than his personal real estate, into a blind trust. He has always maintained he went above and beyond what was required of him as he was to do so within 120 days of his appointment as prime minister.

But Conservatives have maintained that Carney’s situation is unique, because of the magnitude of his conflicts of interest, and should require him to divest his assets.

Former clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick has however warned against considering mandatory divestitures for politicians during the review of the act.

“My view is that we need more people with private-sector background in politics — not fewer,” he told the committee on Oct. 27.

National Post

calevesque@postmedia.com

• Carney to recuse himself from dealings with over 100 companies in sprawling government conflict screen
• ‘Look inside yourself’: Carney gets snippy at reporter when pressed on conflicts of interest

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