Less than a decade after making a $30-million donation to the University of Manitoba’s faculty of health sciences and its medical college, Ernest Rady, who was born in Winnipeg and graduated from the university, says he is “hurt” and “appalled” by remarks made in a graduating doctor’s convocation valedictory address last Thursday.
In a letter dated Monday addressed to U of M president and vice-chancellor Michael Benarroch and Rady faculty of heath sciences dean Dr. Peter Nickerson, the entrepreneur and philanthropist took aim at valedictorian Dr. Gem Newman — who referred to the “genocidal war that Israel is waging on the people of Palestine” — and the university, for allowing him to “spew these hateful lies.”
The 2016 gift from Rady and his wife was made in honour of his parents, particularly his late father Max, a Winnipeg MD who graduated in 1921 and was one of the very few Jewish students accepted in the university’s medical college at the time under a quota system designed to keep them out.
“Those words are not political opinion,” Rady wrote about Newman’s remarks. “They are hate speech and they are lies.”
FACEBOOK University of Manitoba college of medicine valedictorian Gem Newman calls for a ceasefire in Palestine during a 10-minute speech at the Max Rady College of Medicine’s convocation ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Newman made reference to Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of Palestinian hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, precipitated by the Islamist terror group’s murderous rampage across the border into Israeli settlements on Oct. 7.
“Newman’s speech not only dishonoured the memory of my father, but also disrespected and disparaged Jewish people as a whole, including the Jewish students who were in attendance at that convocation — some of whom I’ve heard from,” Rady wrote.
During his 10-minute convocation speech, Newman called for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire in Gaza and called on his classmates to do the same, while accusing multiple Canadian medical associations of failing to use their platform to call for one.
“I’m sure that some of you here today are worried that you might face censure for speaking about the genocidal war that Israel is waging on the people of Palestine, that it could jeopardize your career before it’s even begun,” Newman said to the graduating class.
“Surely, I don’t have to remind any of you that advocacy is literally in our job description.”
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES American business leader Ernest Rady says he is “hurt” and “appalled” by remarks made in a graduating doctor’s convocation valedictory address.
A video recording of the speech was later widely shared on social media.
Rady graduated from the U of M in the 1960s and later made millions in banking, finance insurance, oil and gas and real estate in Canada and the U.S.
In his letter, he demanded the university edit out Newman’s speech from the convocation video recording, condemn Newman’s remarks for being inaccurate and denounce antisemitism.
The video was no longer accessible on the U of M website Tuesday.
“Advocating for the protection of one group of people, while in the same breath calling for the destruction and elimination of another, is not advocacy. It is hate,” Rady wrote.
In an emailed statement to the Free Press, Newman said he’s received numerous messages in support and in opposition since Thursday, and he is standing by his decision to seize the opportunity.
“Every platform is an appropriate platform to call for an end to genocide,” he said. “It is, frankly, incredible to me that advocating for a cessation of hostilities is seen as not only controversial, but somehow hateful. I have been and will continue to be vocally critical of the state of Israel’s horrifying and disproportionate response to the awful tragedy of October 7th.
“Every platform is an appropriate platform to call for an end to genocide.”–Dr. Gem Newman
“Criticism of the actions of the Israeli government does not in and of itself constitute antisemitism. That accusation (which has been levelled not only at me but at countless others) is not only unserious, but it also serves to trivialize the regrettably very real instances of antisemitism that do occur.”
The speech prompted a response from Nickerson the following day, who said some attendees were “disappointed and alarmed” by the address and called Newman’s comments “divisive and inflammatory.”
“The University of Manitoba is steadfast in its commitment to freedom of expression; both speech and counter-speech are equally protected. However, freedom of expression has limits and comes with responsibilities… a convocation address is different than a classroom setting, different than an opinion piece in a newspaper — it is an academic celebration for a diverse community,” a statement signed by Nickerson Friday said.
An emailed statement from Nickerson Tuesday said the college is in discussion with Rady about the concerns outlined in his letter.
University of Manitoba Faculty Association president Orvie Dingwall said she has concerns about the dean’s condemnation of Newman’s remarks.
“Universities are places where we honour free expression,” she told the Free Press, adding it’s not unusual for student speeches to take political turns.
”As long as the student isn’t saying anything hateful, which he wasn’t, then he should have the opportunity,” she said. “We don’t want to get into an instance where students giving speeches have to be vetted or approved. That goes against the premise of free expression.”
In his statement, Nickerson said no decision has been made about vetting student speeches in the future.
Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk.
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