Cancelled speech by Peace by Chocolate founder sparks resignation by legal group's incoming president
Sheree Conlon says in letter The Advocates' Society 'abandoned' its values; group apologized Friday
The incoming president of one of Canada's most high-profile legal organizations has resigned amid an "existential crisis" at The Advocates' Society over its decision to cancel a Syrian Canadian entrepreneur and peace advocate's upcoming speech, after some members raised concerns over his views on Gaza.
Sheree Conlon was set to step into the role of president at the organization's upcoming end-of-term event in Toronto this June. Instead, on Saturday, she stepped down from the executive and board of directors after it cancelled Peace by Chocolate founder Tareq Hadhad's invitation to deliver the keynote speech at the event.
The resignation comes one day after TAS apologized for its handling of the decision, which prompted sharp criticism from its members, with several cancelling their memberships as a result. The organization did not say if it would consider reversing course.
"I have never agreed that TAS should have responded by cancelling Mr. Hadhad's invitation. I believe that by doing so, we abandoned our values and purposes, rather than promoting civility, respectful discussion and collegiality," Conlon wrote in her resignation letter, dated April 5.
"I also knew we were holding Mr. Hadhad to a standard that we have not applied to other speakers, leaders and award recipients," said the letter obtained by CBC News.
Conlon did not respond to a request for comment. However, her website's professional profile, which previously said her term as TAS president would commence in 2025, now lists her as a "past member of the Board and Executive of The Advocates' Society."
'Immense pressure' to cancel speech
In her letter, Conlon, who would have been the organization's first president from Atlantic Canada, said it was her proposal to have Hadhad speak at the event. Hadhad and his family arrived as refugees in Conlon's home province of Nova Scotia in 2015 amid the war in his native Syria and quickly made headlines for his entrepreneurship and message of hope in creating his family's chocolate business.
"Their story is one of perseverance and hope, which celebrates the joys and challenges of building a life in rural Nova Scotia," she said.
Almost immediately after announcing Hadhad as the keynote on March 10, Conlon's letter says, "We began to receive messages from some Jewish lawyers that he was not an appropriate speaker because of posts he has made on social media regarding Gaza."
"We heard that TAS would lose memberships, sponsorships, attendance at [the event] and that there may be protests at the event itself … As you know, Executive members faced immense pressure to cancel Mr. Hadhad's appearance, and do so quickly," Conlon wrote.
Lawyer Jonathan Lisus was among those who wrote to the organization to flag what he described as Hadhad's "one-sided view" of the conflict, noting Hadhad did not appear to have posted in solidarity with the Israeli victims of Hamas's Oct. 7 attack or the hostages taken that day.
"Sadly, Mr. Hadhad's record of public statements makes a strong case that while expressing understandable concern for civilian deaths in Gaza he is unsympathetic, and certainly indifferent, to the harm and suffering of Jewish people and the Jewish state," he wrote in a letter dated March 15.
The Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA) previously told CBC News that TAS told it the concerns stemmed from complaints about Hadhad's use of the term "genocide" on social media, adding he had not provided what they deemed "equal comment" on other impacted groups. TAS would not confirm those details to CBC News.
Hadhad previously told CBC News in a statement he intended to speak "solely on the values that unite."
In a statement Monday, Hadhad said he had seen one complaint made against him to the organization.
"In that complaint, to suggest that I am 'unsympathetic' or 'indifferent' to the suffering of Jewish people is both inaccurate and deeply hurtful," he said.
"I believe that to grieve the suffering of one group does not mean the exclusion of another ... that includes civilians in Syria, in Gaza, in Israel, in Ukraine and in every corner of the world where people are caught in the crossfire of violence."
'Signaling to racialized lawyers that their voices do not belong'
Conlon added that she values the personal experiences and accounts of members who expressed that the choice of speaker would cause them "harm and exclusion," but said she felt the organization could have found a path forward without cancelling Hadhad's invitation.
"My deepest personal conflict came from knowing we were signaling to racialized lawyers that their voices do not belong at TAS," she wrote. "By silencing a Muslim man's voice for expressing an opinion that is frequently shared and expressed in the Canadian mainstream, they told me they also felt silenced by our decision, and not a welcome part of our organization or profession."
Conlon said that as incoming president, she knew she would be asked to explain or justify a decision "not aligned" with her own ethics and values, which she believed she shared with TAS.
"That was impossible for me to do."
The letter goes on to call on TAS to cancel its upcoming event, develop an equal policy on speakers and publicly acknowledge that its decision departed from its core values.
CBC News has contacted TAS for reaction to Conlon's letter.
Calls for change at the top
As previously reported, the organization issued an apology Friday following the "profound reactions" surrounding its decision.
"Our members have expressed deep concerns with the way our decisions were made, the basis for them and with the lack of diverse consultation in our deliberations," it said in a statement Friday.
"We hear you. We are sorry and regret the harm we have caused," TAS said, adding "through these decisions and related communications we have not fully lived up to our mission and core values."
In a statement to CBC News, lawyer Muneeza Sheikh, who was among those raising alarm bells over the decision to cancel Hadhad's invitation, said Conlon's resignation was "demonstrative of the deep frustration and gross disappointment that has been felt by so many lawyers in the last two years particularly."
She's now calling on the organization to cancel its event and for the executive committee to resign.
"The Advocates' Society silenced Mr. Hadhad and in doing so eroded the integrity of the law. As lawyers, we are supposed to be blind to race, religion, and politics," she said.
"We have lost all trust. The Advocates' Society needs to put in the hard work to reclaim its identity as an organization free of the worst type of bias."
The Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association meanwhile is calling for an external review of the process and a change in leadership at TAS.
"It is clear that the board and executive have lost the confidence of the membership and the public, and their actions risk bringing the profession into disrepute," said CMLA chair Husein Panju.
"What makes this instance particularly painful is that the silencing is coming from an organization that claims to stand for civil liberties."
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