Does Fred Hahn put his money where his mouth is?
The CUPE Ontario president has been rebuked both by politicians and figures in the labour movement for his social media posts and appearances at anti-Israel protests. (Memorably, Labour Minister David Piccini urged him to “stop hating Jews.” Hahn denied any such hatred during that exchange, as well as in a statement at roughly the same time after calls for him to quit CUPE’s national executive board.)
He’s also a prolific political donor. In addition to a long history of financial support of the provincial and federal NDP, generous donations have been made in his name to headline-grabbing politicians at Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall.
“You’re judged by the company you keep to a certain extent,” said Richard Marceau, a vice-president with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
The former Bloc Quebecois MP said if he were a politician who got cash from Hahn, “I would do my damnedest to distance myself from this vile person.”
Sarah Jama, who sits as an Independent MPP after the NDP booted her from caucus for what a motion of the Ontario legislature described as “discriminatory statements related to the existence of the state of Israel,” appears to have been given $1,500 of Hahn’s money in 2023 – $1,000 for her as a candidate, plus $500 for her Independent riding association. That’s in addition to a $1,300 donation to the NDP Hamilton Centre riding association that year. (Jama said that claim was “based on a lie” and has fought the motion.)
Of the Jama donation, Marceau quipped: “Haters of the world unite.”
Hahn also gave Jama’s former boss, Marit Stiles, $1,000 last year for her NDP leadership run.
His influence at Toronto City Hall might be even greater. In addition to a large donation during Olivia Chow’s 2023 mayoral run, Hahn’s name is on big contributions to Chow’s city council allies Ausma Malik, Paula Fletcher, Chris Moise and Gord Perks.
After the Toronto Sun reached out about Hahn’s $2,500 spread across two donations, Chow’s press secretary Arianne Robinson responded with a six-word statement: “Mayor Chow received approximately 6,000 donations.”
In a previous interview about other campaign donations, Moise told the Sun he’s known Hahn “for many years, and he lives in the ward.”
“On the one hand, anybody can donate to a candidate,” Marceau said. “Now, the politician … (it) doesn’t mean that they have to keep the money, and to me, any money given by somebody like Fred Hahn and the record that he has (with) Jewish stuff, I would not want anything to do with it.”
Repeated requests for a comment made to Hahn via CUPE were not returned.
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Jama, Stiles, Fletcher, Malik, Perks and NDP MP Niki Ashton, who Hahn supported in a leadership run, all failed to respond to requests for a comment from the Sun, as did the provincial NDP.
At least some of these donations were made before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Hahn’s apparent social media praise of Hamas “resistance” the day after. (Hahn apologized for the post later that month.)
Marceau said that the money came first doesn’t matter.
“Fred Hahn has been on an anti-Israel trajectory for a while,” he claimed, adding: “There’s nothing that would stop now any politician (from) saying Fred Hahn is not a friend of mine, I disagree with what he said, I condemn what he says.”
FRED’S FUNDS
Notable recent political donations made in the name of CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn:
– Olivia Chow, Toronto mayor, $2,500 in 2023;
– Sarah Jama, Independent MPP, $1,500 in 2023;
– Marit Stiles, Ontario NDP leader, $1,000 in 2023;
– Melissa Coenraad, Ottawa-area Ontario NDP candidate, $1,000 in 2023;
– Chris Moise, Toronto Centre councillor, $1,030.18 in 2022;
– Ausma Malik, Spadina-Fort York councillor, $1,030.18 in 2022;
– Gord Perks, Parkdale-High Park councillor, $500 in 2022;
– Paula Fletcher, Toronto-Danforth councillor, $500 in 2022;
– Debbie King, TDSB trustee, $500 in 2022;
– Niki Ashton, Manitoba MP and former NDP leadership candidate, $1,000 in 2017.