“The Slanderous Campaign Against MEC,” by CIC’s Michael Elterman, Vancouver Sun

Posted on: April 29, 2009

Here’s another op-ed on the misguided efforts to get Mountain Equipment Co-op to boycott Israel:

The slanderous campaign against MEC
Anti-Israeli members want the co-op to boycott supplier from Israel despite outstanding record
by Michael Elterman, Vancouver Sun
Wed 29 Apr 2009

Why would socially progressive consumers boycott a company that donates a percentage of its profits to community causes, encourages volunteerism among employees and prioritizes environmental sustainability?

According to a misguided few, they should if the company in question is based in Israel.

Backed by the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education, known as PAGE, a group of anti-Israel members of Mountain Equipment Co-op have announced that they will bring forward a resolution calling for MEC to boycott Israeli companies at MEC’s annual general meeting in Vancouver on Thursday.

And while the proposed resolution is not supported by MEC leadership and, even if adopted, does not automatically become MEC policy, it is nonetheless mendacious in its rationale, insidious in its intent and dangerous in its precedent.

The proposed resolution would penalize MEC, its Israeli suppliers and, ironically, Palestinian subcontractors who work for Source Vagabond Systems.

MEC management and leadership know that an ethical sourcing policy isn’t about the country — it’s about the company. That’s why they’ve taken care to adopt and implement a thoughtful — even exemplary — approach to deciding with whom they do business.

Source Vagabond Systems, the Israeli supplier whose products the resolution’s supporters seek to ban, is a case in point.

Source Vagabond meets the rigorous standards sent by MEC, particularly vis-a-vis the Palestinians. The company believes “that establishing eye-to-eye business relationships with [their] Palestinian neighbours can make a difference and help to resolve a conflict that lasted so long . . . and work with two subcontractors in the West Bank.”

Source Vagabond also donates a percentage of its profits to community-based projects supporting a variety of environmental and social causes, both in Israel and in the international markets where its products are sold. It encourages its employees to volunteer one to two working hours each week in the community, and donates old stocks of its products to “Bigger than Life,” an organization for children who suffer from cancer.

Source Vagabond conscientiously strives to advance the goals and objectives of environmental sustainability at every stage of the manufacturing process, ensuring all resources used are replaced in equal or greater quantities.

In short, Source Vagabond conforms entirely to MEC’s high ethical standards.

MEC has a sound policy regarding when it will rule out doing business with a particular country.

According to MEC, while the policies of some governments may be disagreeable, “business is conducted not with them but with private businesses and individuals. By directly working with all parties we can encourage positive change.”

MEC policy regarding boycott is straightforward: “Trade sanctions that impact our sourcing decisions will be guided by Canada and the United Nations: should either one enact trade sanctions against Israel (or any other country from which we source products), MEC will cease doing business there.”

This policy is demonstrated in MEC’s approach to dealing with other parts of the world. For example, despite numerous calls for a boycott on Chinese goods, MEC has pursued a “buycott” instead, using the supply chain and larger orders to reward suppliers who practise good human rights.

So why would a handful of MEC members single out Israel for a boycott?

Inspired by those who have never accepted the existence of the state of Israel as a national homeland for the Jewish people, an international campaign to delegitimize Israel has taken the term “apartheid” as its banner, and invokes the international boycott that was rightly used against the reviled former South African racist regime.

This slanderous comparison denigrates the horrific experience suffered by South Africans under real apartheid conditions.

While Israel, like Canada and most other western democracies, experiences real problems of integration and social inequality, it is a vibrant, pluralistic and democratic society where equal rights are guaranteed for all regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Arab citizens of Israel serve in every sector of public life, including high-ranking diplomatic posts, prominent academic positions, distinguished cultural stations and a wide spectrum of other professions. None of these things would have been possible for South African blacks under the apartheid regime.

Those who are behind the proposed MEC boycott resolution either don’t know the facts, or they just don’t care.

MEC has an exemplary ethical sourcing policy, which respects UN directives and is consistent with Canadian laws and values.

MEC members can be confident that the producers of MEC merchandise are governed by the same values that inspire MEC.

There is no reason for this approach to change. MEC members should support the organization’s present policy, and reject this outrageous resolution outright.

Michael Elterman is the chairman of the Canada-Israel Committee, Pacific Region.

Christy Clark Show on CKNW Debates MEC Boycott with
CICâ€™s Michael Elterman

Mountain Equipment Co-opâ€™s Ethical Sourcing Policy Deserves Our Support

Call to Action on Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Israel Boycott Resolution