VP of Canada’s Largest Union Ignores Increased Demands to Resign After Being Accused of Antisemitism
CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn. Photo: YouTube screenshot
The general vice president of Canada’s largest union said on Thursday that he will not resign despite demands from the union’s national executive board and a growing number of members that he step down for posting a video on Facebook in early August that has been widely viewed as antisemitic.
“Because I respect the democracy of our union, the choice of our members, I will be here to continue to fight side by side with all of you,” Fred Hahn said in a lengthy statement sent to members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which has 750,000 members.
In a motion passed on Tuesday, CUPE’s national executive board said it “lost confidence” in Hahn’s ability to lead the union as general vice president after he shared a Facebook video on Aug. 11. The clip, which has since been deleted, showed a diver with a Star of David tattoo at the 2024 Olympic Games jumping off a diving board before turning into a bomb that exploded on civilians. The video ended with a message that said, “The athletes of the olympic team of Isreal [sic] has participated in the genocide of the Palestinians as they were a part of the IDF. Shame on them. Shame on the sports. Shame on the world.”
The CUPE leader apologized for his Facebook video on Aug. 18, but doubled down on his criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians in his statement on Thursday. He talked about being an “advocate for the cause of Palestine” and pointed out that he has been repeatedly targeted, “labeled antisemitic and vilified” for “expressing the views of our members in support for Palestine and against genocide.”
Hahn said although CUPE’s board wants him to resign, “because I respect the democracy of our union … the members should decide.” He said demands for his resignation have made him “so sad and so angry.”
“Trade unionists I have come to know and respect voted this week to overturn the democratic decisions of CUPE members,” he noted. “It is unprecedented in our union’s history and I’m worried countless CUPE members who are active in the Palestinian solidarity movement could be left more vulnerable and exposed by the precedent as they face similar situations as work.” He also rejected claims that he is antisemitic.
Hahn — who is the first openly gay labour leader in Ontario, according to the CUPE website — has been vocal about his anti-Israel stance in the past. A day after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, he applauded “the power of resistance” in a post on X/Twitter. He also retweeted a message that said, “Palestine is rising, long live the resistance.” Hahn, who has been a member of CUPE since 1991, has also supported Palestinian efforts to stop Canada from aiding Israel during the ongoing Hamas war.
Photo: Screenshot
CUPE’s National President Mark Hancock told the Toronto Star that because Hahn was elected to the national vice president position, the board cannot simply fire him.
“I have a [CUPE] constitution to live by and firing is … it’s not a job, per se, so it’s different,” Hancock explained. He said he thinks this is the first time the union has felt the need to push for the resignation of a senior leader. Hancock added that if Hahn will not resign on his own, “that’ll be new ground again for CUPE and me as a national president. I will review options available to me.”
Throughout the week, Hahn, who is also president of CUPE Ontario, has faced increased pressure to resign from a growing number of members of his union. The sector of CUPE that represents 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants called for his resignation as well as a local branch in Ontario that represents paramedics, EMS logistics and support staff members in the community of Windsor-Essex. A different CUPE Ontario branch representing more than 4,000 city of Hamilton employees said he also needs to step down as president of CUPE Ontario, a position he’s held since 2009.
“Being part of our union is about being part of a team, and Fred stopped being a team player a long time ago,” said CUPE’s Air Canda Component President Wesley Lesosky in a statement on Thursday. “His reckless comments last October put our members who have to travel to the Middle East as part of their flight duties in the crosshairs and he has never apologized for his role in jeopardizing their safety. Earlier this month he proved he hadn’t learned a thing when he reposted a racist and antisemitic video online. That is not leadership, and that is not what we expect of leaders in our union.”
“This is about whether we think it’s okay for our elected leaders to be sharing harmful views that violate CUPE’s Equality Statement online and repeatedly getting a pass for it,” Lesosky added. “The responsible thing for Fred to do was resign in October after his insensitive remarks that put his fellow CUPE members in harm’s way. The next best thing is for him to resign today.”
An increasing number of Canada-based Jewish groups are also calling on Hahn to resign, including the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). The advocacy organization said in a statement on Thursday that CUPE needs to take action and “remove Fred Hahn from his position.”
“It is appalling but not surprising to see Fred Hahn once again put himself ahead of union members,” CIJA added. “Since Oct. 7, Hahn’s antisemitism and anti-Israel obsession has been made clear. His insincere apologies won’t cut it anymore. Jewish members, CUPE locals, and CUPE National have all called for his immediate resignation. Rather than cling to power, he should do the right thing.”
In November, the union’s Jewish members filed a complaint against CUPE at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal for alleged discrimination and promotion of antisemitism, according to the Toronto Star. Kathryn Marshall, a lawyer representing CUPE workers in the complaint, told the publication that more union members have expressed interest in joining the case since Hahn posted the antisemitic Facebook video on Aug. 11.
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