May 16, 2011: Charlotte Whitton’s name should not be on new archives and library building

 By Michael Regenstreif

Since moving to Ottawa in 2007 to work at the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, I’ve met Mayor Jim Watson on a number of occasions – first, in his earlier role as an Ontario cabinet minister and MPP and, more recently, as a candidate for the mayoralty and as mayor.

He has always struck me as a friendly and very astute politician. He has always been well-briefed and understanding of issues of concern when I’ve seen him talk to Jewish groups, and he has proven himself to be a friend of Ottawa’s Jewish community. He even says nice things about the Bulletin.

That’s why it’s hard to fathom why Watson is pushing so hard to have the City of Ottawa’s new archives and library building named in honour of Charlotte Whitton.

What is to be gained by honouring Whitton now – some 36 years after her death?

Yes, she made history by being the first woman to be mayor of Ottawa. But that notable achievement looks small in comparison to her ensuring that 500 Jewish refugee orphans ended up in Auschwitz instead of Canada during the Holocaust, to her efforts in helping to ensure that Canada not be a haven for Jews seeking to escape the Nazis.

Whitton’s role in that shameful of chapter of Canadian history is well documented in None Is Too Many by Irving Abella and Harold Troper, and in Open Your Hearts: The Story of the Jewish War Orphans in Canada by Fraidie Martz. (The Jewish war orphans that Martz wrote about were only allowed into Canada beginning in 1947.)

Whitton was deeply antisemitic. She also hated French Canadians, Armenians, Ukrainians … the list goes on.

I attended the committee meeting at City Hall on May 3 (see my news report on page 4) when the mayor’s recommendation to name the building for Whitton was given preliminary approval. There were six presentations – including representations from the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and Canadian Jewish Congress – that argued compellingly against honouring Whitton. Not one citizen or organization came forward in her favour.

And, yet, with the notable exception of Councillor Keith Egli, the mayor and the rest of the councillors on the committee voted in favour of naming the building for Whitton.

To be blunt, I was appalled at some of the things I heard the councillors say in their discussion. Councillor Marianne Wilkinson said she didn’t consider Whitton’s antisemitism or her actions to be a “civic issue.” Councillor Doug Thompson reduced Whitton’s actions during the Holocaust to the level of “comments.” Councillor Diane Deans suggested we had to recognize the time Whitton was living in.

The fact is Whitton was not just a product of her time – she was one of the leaders who shaped that time, who ensured that “none is too many.”

Surely, in today’s multicultural Ottawa, there are many better examples of persons deserving of honour than Charlotte Whitton.

Thanks Deanna

You may have noticed that Deanna Silverman’s Kid Lit column – a regular feature in almost every issue of the Bulletin over the past 20 years – has been missing from several issues of late. Unfortunately, Deanna has been having some health issues and has now decided to retire from writing the column.

I would like to thank Deanna for her contributions to the Bulletin over so many years. So many Jewish kids in Ottawa have had their childhoods enriched thanks to the hundreds of books she’s reviewed and recommended over the past two decades.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with her.