For Immediate Release
Toronto, Thursday, December 12, 2002 — In a letter to members of Parliament, Robert Bouvier, President of Teamsters Canada, refers to ATM and bank service fees as “shylock”.
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President of B’nai Brith Canada wrote to Mr. Bouvier stating:
“As you are aware Shylock was a character in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice. While scholars debate the extent of the writer’s antisemitic views, the term ‘Shylock’ has clearly come to be used as an anti-Jewish stereotype, a metaphor for excessive greed.
Your call for government intervention regarding fees which you see as abusive to all workers is not furthered by resorting to racial stereotypes. By using such terms, you have in fact failed to further the very well-being of Canadian society that you are so rightly trying to promote.
We await your retraction and apology to your Jewish and non-Jewish members alike, as well as to all fair-minded Canadians.”
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For further information contact:
Frank Dimant at (416) 802-1057
B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875 as the community’s foremost advocacy and volunteer organization.
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