ANALYSIS: Targeting veterans and citizens – Canada’s growing threat to safety and freedom
This is a test of Canada's commitment to protecting its citizens from harassment and ensuring that the targeting of individuals based on their identity and past service does not become a normalized...
Author: Dotan Rousso
On February 24, 2025, the website The Maple published an article titled "Meet 85 Canadians Who Have Fought For Israel," which compiles the names and biographical details of Canadian citizens and Israeli immigrants to Canada who have served in the IDF, accompanied by social media posts and videos. The intent behind this initiative is clear: to intimidate, to endanger, and possibly to incite violence against those who have defended their homeland against terrorist organizations such as Hamas.
This recent publication is a dangerous and deeply troubling development that must be addressed with the seriousness it deserves. This is not an exercise in freedom of speech—it is a blatant attempt to single out individuals, placing them at risk merely for having served their country. It is appalling that such actions are taking place in Canada, a nation that prides itself on democracy, human rights, and the protection of its citizens from targeted harassment. The publication even includes the name of Ben Mizrachi, a 22-year-old Canadian murdered during the Nova music festival massacre on October 7th. The insensitivity and recklessness of this act cannot be overstated.
It is essential to call out those responsible for this publication by name and hold them accountable for their actions. David Mastracci, the editor behind this so-called "database," must be criticized and exposed for his role in potentially encouraging violence and harassment against members of the Jewish and Israeli community in Canada. If this kind of targeted list-making is allowed to become acceptable, we will soon find ourselves in a society where individuals can be persecuted based on their past service, political beliefs, or ethnic background.
There must be a clear and immediate response. Canadian authorities should launch an investigation into whether this publication constitutes incitement, harassment, or a violation of privacy and security laws. It is unacceptable that, in a time when antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed by 670% since October 7th, this kind of targeting is permitted under the guise of journalism.
We must not turn a blind eye to the dangers posed by such reckless acts. The idea that individuals who served in the IDF—many of whom fought against Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the brutal murder of over 1,200 people and the abduction of civilians, including infants still held captive in tunnels—should now be the ones vilified is beyond comprehension. Those who disseminate these lists are not acting in the interest of justice or accountability; they are participating in a campaign of intimidation that must be condemned.
If Canada allows this kind of targeting to go unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent. Today, it is former IDF soldiers being placed on lists; tomorrow, it could be any individual with a political affiliation, religious belief, or past service record that certain activists disapprove of. This is a slippery slope that threatens not only the safety of those targeted but the very principles of a free and secure society.
This is a test of Canada's commitment to protecting its citizens from harassment and ensuring that the targeting of individuals based on their identity and past service does not become a normalized practice. The time to act is now.
Dotan Rousso was born and raised in Israel, holds a Ph.D. in Law, and was a former criminal prosecutor in Israel. He lives in Alberta and teaches Philosophy at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).