Members of the Jewish community and former parliamentarians are calling for Ontario restaurateur Mohamad Fakih to lose his Order of Canada honour after he wrote that Canadian supporters of Israel “do not have basic human values.”
“Three parties. Three regions. One shared belief: the Order of Canada must reflect the values that unite us,” reads a letter from former Progressive Conservative of Ontario MPP Lisa MacLeod, former B.C. NDP MLA and cabinet minister Selina Robinson and former Liberal MP Kevin Vuong, that was
Friday afternoon.
They called Fakih’s statement “not simply divisive” but a “direct assault on the dignity and belonging of millions of Canadians,” in their letter addressed to Chief Justice Richard Wagner. “This is not a partisan matter. It is a non-political, values-driven concern about preserving the integrity of one of Canada’s highest civilian honours,” they said.
Fakih’s message came after Israel struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a town in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry, an institution run by Hamas, said over twenty people were
in the strike, with other organizations reporting five journalists and several health-care workers were among the fatalities and Israel saying at least six Hamas terrorists were killed. The Israeli army is investigating the circumstances of the attack and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “tragic mishap” on Monday.
“On behalf of literally every Canadian of conscience: if you are a Canadian and a supporter of Israel, you do not have basic human values, let alone Canadian values. Your tweets and messages are saved and known to all of us. They live,” Fakih
in an X post on Monday. “Some might not comment around you, because they are polite or respectful of whatever role you have in society or just don’t want to roll in the mud with you. But know this: your lack of Canadian and human values will never be forgotten.”
Fakih is a Lebanese-Canadian immigrant based in Mississauga, Ont., and the founder of the Middle Eastern food chain, Paramount Fine Foods. He gained a
for
activities such as supporting victims of an Islamophobic terrorist attack in London, Ont., and employing Syrian refugees who had recently arrived in Canada. In a statement provided to National Post on Friday, he stood by his comments on the war.
“The world has been watching a genocide unfold in Gaza, with children and women killed, hospitals and schools bombed, journalists and doctors targeted. Pro-Israel voices in Canada continue to defend the actions of Netanyahu’s Israel that are not consistent with Canadian values. This is why so many Canadians, including Jewish Canadians, are speaking out,” he said in a written statement shared via a spokesperson.
“I have consistently advocated for Palestinian rights, the protection of civilians, and for Canada to stop arming Israel and deliver urgent aid. History will remember those who speak out for justice, and those who fail to denounce Netanyahu and Israel’s war crimes. For taking this stand, I have faced intimidation and smear campaigns. I will not be silenced in bringing awareness to Israel’s ongoing crimes, a responsibility that comes with the honour of being a member of the Order of Canada.”
In November 2021, Fakih was
the Order of Canada, which
itself as “the cornerstone of the Canadian Honours System.” Created in 1967, the distinction is presented by the Governor General to recognize “outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.” Prominent recipients include
,
,
and
.
“Mohamad Fakih is a passionate community leader and humanitarian. Exemplifying the immigrant success story, he transformed a struggling restaurant into a thriving franchise chain across North America,” the original announcement
.
Condemnations were shared in the comments soon after Fakih posted his social media message Monday. Fellow Lebanese-Canadian academic Gad Saad satirized his message.
“I have a lot of family in Israel, and I care about their wellbeing. Is this something that I’m allowed to feel or does it violate Canadian and human values? I thank you for serving as my Islamic moral mentor,” the former Concordia researcher
.
The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF) sent a letter on Monday addressed to
Brigadier General Marc Theriault
, the deputy secretary of honours in the Governor General’s office, requesting Fakih’s Order of Canada be rescinded.
“In our view, Mr. Fakih’s behaviour constitutes a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour which is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the Order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the appointment was based,” the
wrote.
“Members of the Order of Canada are intended to serve as living examples of Canada’s values,” CAEF president Michael Teper told the Post in a written statement. “Mr. Fakih’s statement that millions of Canadian supporters of Israel, including the overwhelming majority of Jewish Canadians, ‘do not have basic human values’ is disgraceful and, in our organization’s view, his continuing membership brings the Order of Canada into disrepute.”
🇨🇦 Three former Parliamentarians. Three parties. Three regions. One shared belief: the Order of Canada must reflect the values that unite us.
Today @SelinaMRobinson @KevinVuongxMP and I asked the Chief Justice to review the appointment of Mr. Mohamad Fakih, C.M.
— Lisa MacLeod (@MacLeodLisa) August 29, 2025
Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, knowledgeable about the workings of the Canadian government and the role of the Governor General, confirmed there is a “
” for the Order of Canada when contacted by the Post.
“The Deputy Secretary has to believe that the claim for termination has merit, then the Advisory Council will get involved,” he wrote in an email. “There are quite a few steps after that. It will only get to the GG (Governor General) at the end.”
A joint letter defending Fakih was sent to the Governor General on
, featuring the signatures of leaders from several national pro-Palestinian groups, including the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and Independent Jewish Voices.
The signatories dismissed the calls to strip Fakih of his award as part of an attempt to “divert attention from these atrocities and canceling advocates for justice as threats to peace.”
“Mr. Fakih’s post, calling for accountability for those enabling genocide in Gaza, is not an attack on any ethnic or religious group. It is a condemnation of state violence and the targeting of civilians, journalists, and healthcare workers, as documented by the United Nations and numerous international human rights organizations,” the letter reads.
MacLeod, who is a Macdonald-Laurier Institute ambassador, told the Post in an email that she, Robinson and Vuong were “standing up for Canada” in calling for Fakih’s comments to disqualify him from being a member of the Order of Canada.
“We have no election to win, only a country to protect,” she wrote. “This is a line in the sand and it’s drawn not in anger, but in defence of who we are.”
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