Asper’s daughter grateful for U of M action on posters targeting late philanthropist, business leader

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2023 (663 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Izzy Asper’s daughter says she’s grateful to the University of Manitoba for its swift action removing posters calling her dad a fascist and denouncing them as antisemitic and hateful.

“We were obviously very shocked and upset to hear about the poster maligning my father at the University of Manitoba,” Gail Asper told the Free Press Thursday.

“I’m very grateful for their defence and support of my father.”

University staff removed 70 posters Wednesday demanding that the U of M stop honouring the late media mogul and philanthropist, after whom its business school is named.

The anonymous posts accuse Asper — who served as a leader of the Manitoba Liberal party and spearheaded the campaign to build the Canadian Museum for Human Rights — of supporting the radical right-wing and promoting division in the world.

Tensions have spiked on university campuses across North America and beyond since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel and that country’s ongoing military response that followed. Instances and accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen significantly,

Many of the posters at the U of M were put up in and around the Asper School of Business.

The university denounced them as hateful and antisemitic, and pointed to the family’s contribution to the school and province, at large.

“I’m very, very proud of the contributions that Izzy Asper made, first as the Liberal leader of Manitoba back in the ’70s, when he introduced the very first bill of rights into the legislature, which unfortunately didn’t pass,” Gail Asper said after the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce annual State of the Province luncheon.

“He was deeply committed to the charter of rights. His commitment to human rights led him to spearhead the creation of our beautiful Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

“I think his outstanding contributions to Canada are something we can all be proud of.”

Izzy Asper announced plans for the creation of a world-class museum dedicated to human rights in the spring of 2003. He died six months later at the age of 71.

Former NDP premier Gary Doer and former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray worked first with Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien and his successor, Conservative Stephen Harper to make Winnipeg’s human rights museum a reality.

Gail Asper said she spoke to Premier Wab Kinew before his speech to the business community Thursday to thank him for stepping up to serve at a time when it’s not easy to be in politics.

“I really, really appreciate the people who say they’re going to try their best to make the world a better place,” she said.

“What I really hope that he can do is bring a positive feeling to being Manitoban, and appeal to our better sense to work together respectfully because I know that when we all work together we can achieve great things.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca