Canadian legal group rocked by 2nd high-profile resignation, as treasurer steps down over 'chilling effect'

Shanifa Nasser · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 5:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The fallout implicit a Canadian ineligible organization's determination to cancel a noted Syrian Canadian entrepreneur and bid advocate's speaking invitation is deepening, with different high-profile resignation, this clip by its treasurer.

Sheila Gibb, treasurer astatine The Advocates' Society since June 2024, who was acceptable to instrumentality up the relation of vice-president, has stepped down from the group's enforcement and committee of directors.

In a connection posted online Wednesday, Gibb said cancelling an upcoming keynote code by refugee-turned-entrepreneur Tareq Hadhad astatine TAS's upcoming lawsuit successful June has caused "hurt and trauma to galore members of our community."

"As an enactment whose halfway worth is to beryllium a divers and inclusive Society, it is TAS's work to make spaces for each members to consciousness invited and capable to stock their perspectives," wrote Gibb.

"We failed to make this abstraction with the End of Term meal this year."

Hadhad 'held to a standard' others weren't: ex-treasurer 

Gibb's resignation comes conscionable days aft incoming president Sheree Conlon stepped down connected Saturday, saying successful a missive obtained by CBC News that TAS had "abandoned its values" successful rescinding Hadhad's invitation.

TAS has said it did truthful aft concerns were raised by immoderate members astir Hadhad's stance connected Gaza connected societal media, successful which he has referred to Israel's actions determination arsenic "genocide."

As CBC News has antecedently reported, lawyer Jonathan Lisus was among those who wrote to the enactment to emblem what helium described arsenic Hadhad's "one-sided view" of the conflict, noting Hadhad did not look to person posted successful solidarity with the Israeli victims of Hamas's Oct. 7 onslaught oregon the hostages taken that day.

In her statement, Gibb says she believes Hadhad "was held to a modular which different speakers person not been held," adding the determination has had "a chilling effect."

"In my view, it is indispensable that TAS — and our barroom — beryllium capable to clasp abstraction for antithetic perspectives and hard discussions," said Gibb.

"I spot this arsenic foundational to TAS's halfway values, and besides captious fixed wherever we find ourselves successful the world: with expanding polarization, diminishing opportunities for civilian sermon connected hard topics, and the related risks to our bar, our strategy of justice, and our ideology — arsenic we are seeing southbound of the border."

CBC News has reached retired to TAS for remark connected Conlon and Gibb's resignations. 

Last Friday, the enactment issued an apology to its members implicit its handling of the situation, but did not accidental if it would see reinstating Hadhad's invitation. Hadhad has said helium has not received a idiosyncratic apology.

Meanwhile, successful a connection Monday, Hadhad said helium was moved by the outpouring of enactment helium has received since the cancellation.

As for his stance connected Gaza, helium said: "to suggest that I americium 'unsympathetic' oregon 'indifferent' to the suffering of Jewish radical is some inaccurate and profoundly hurtful."

"I judge that to grieve the suffering of 1 radical does not mean the exclusion of different ... that includes civilians successful Syria, successful Gaza, successful Israel, successful Ukraine and successful each country of the satellite wherever radical are caught successful the crossfire of violence."