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They are ostensibly protesting MEC’s sourcing of product from Israel. The company sources its underwear and hydration systems for backpacks from Israel.

In response, the Canada Israel Committee is encouraging Jewish communities throughout Canada to participate in the Buycott Israel program by buying Israeli products at MEC, especially on Sunday, Nov. 29 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. They are also urged to become a member of MEC by Dec. 19, 2009 and to register at the Canada Israel Committee BUYcott website (www.buycottisrael.ca).

“We got word of the leaflet handout through an online posting that originated at a website titled “U.S. campaign for the academic & cultural boycott of Israel,” said Tim Southam, MEC spokesperson.

The USCBI claims on its website to be a “U.S. campaign focused specifically on a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions as delineated by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. “We are responding to the call of Palestinian civil society to join the boycott, divestment and sanction movement against Israel,” the website says.

Southam said MEC will provide support to its stores “in terms of what our position is on this, and just ensuring that they’re aware of what’s planned.” He said MEC is anticipating a busy day in the stores on Sunday, but he didn’t want to speculate how many people would show up on Saturday.

"We do not divide our supply chain along political lines, and we will not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian question,” said MEC CEO David Labistour. “At our AGM earlier this year, a strong majority of members voted against the ordinary resolution that called on MEC to stop sourcing from Israel. The result supports our sourcing practices."

In May 2009, a few members of MEC tried to convince the company to stop sourcing products made in Israel. Their motion was defeated by majority vote at MECs annual general meeting, attended by 265 members. Seventy percent of them voted against the resolution, according to Dr. Michael Elterman, Canada Israel Committee’s Pacific region chair.

With over 300 million members, MEC is the largest cooperative in Canada. One in every 10 Canadians is a member of MEC, according to Labistour.  Of the attempted boycott of Israeli-made products, he said “No matter what we do we always offend some and make others happy, it’s just the way of the world.”

CJN