"...the most riveting soap opera in Canada..."
No, they're not reviews of the latest Hollywood melodrama. They're all descriptions of the real-world drama that has unfolded in recent months at the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development - AKA "Rights and Democracy" - a Montreal-based arm's length agency of the federal government.
Rights and Democracy has operated largely under the radar for more than two decades, undertaking international projects that aim "to strengthen democracy and promote human rights in developing countries".
The institution is under the radar no more.
In recent months, an internal dispute - with its origins in the polarized politics of the Middle East - has broken out into the open. Staff members are feuding with government-appointed directors. Directors are feuding amongst themselves.
There have been calls for the resignation of controversial new board members, actual resignations of veteran directors, sudden firings, secret memos, withering criticism from high-profile corners, a suspicious break-in and computer theft at the institution's Montreal headquarters, and one very awful tragedy: The fatal heart attack in early January of Rights and Democracy president Rémy Beauregard, following a heated board meeting.
The controversy, some observers argue, puts a public spotlight on the way the federal government uses largely obscure appointments to pursue its political agenda outside the constraints of Parliament. In the specific case of Rights and Democracy, that agenda has to do with Canada's changing position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On our show tonight, we'll debate that issue, as well as the nature and implications of the dispute at Rights and Democracy.
Please feel free to pursue the debate in the comments section below.
