Twice in a single week, listeners of the CBC radio program Ottawa Morning were force-fed lengthy diatribes from hostile anti-Israel activists to little challenge from the host.

In the first segment that aired on June 3, host Rebecca Zandbergen spoke with Toronto immigration lawyer Aidan Simardone, who has praised Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacres on social media, for his thoughts on importing more Gazans into Canada.

Listen now to the full segment:

At no point did Zandbergen ask Simardone about his pro-Hamas statements or why Canadians should trust someone with such extreme views with helping to bring members of a highly radicalized population to Canada.

Instead, she gave him an opportunity to say that Canada should be “getting rid of some of these requirements” on Gazans, and demanded that Ottawa place sanctions on Jerusalem to force the country to allow more Gazans to leave.

The only time that Zandbergen offered anything in the way of a meaningful question was when she lightly suggested that according to “critics,” there should be some screening. But nothing was said about the extreme radicalization of Gazans, and the idea that mass numbers of Gazans should come to Canada was treated as a de facto truth from Zandbergen.

The voices of other immigration lawyers, such as the group Lawyers For Secure Immigration, who have raised alarm bells about large numbers of Gazans coming to Canada due to radicalism concerns, were completely ignored in Zandbergen’s interview.

Two days later, Zandbergen followed up with another segment on the same topic, speaking with one-time Canadian ambassador to Israel and darling of the Canadian news media, Jon Allen. The segment’s topic entitled: “What can Canada do to put pressure on Israel,” made it clear that there was to be no debate on the matter: Israel was the guilty party, and the only question was how Canada should punish it.

Listen now to the full segment:

Allen, a relentless critic of Israel widely interviewed by news media outlets looking for a predictable response, did not disappoint. He baselessly accused Israel of “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza, a claim wholly without merit, and said that “it’s without doubt, time for Canada to take further actions” against the Jewish State.

No discussion was had about why exactly Israel is the villain. Instead, as has become commonplace in many corners of CBC radio programs, it was taken as a matter of faith that Israel is the culprit and should be punished. Zandbergen made no attempt to hide her perspective, raising the idea that Canada recall its ambassador from Israel, and lamenting “why are there so many ‘shoulds,’” as in, why has not Canada actually punished Israel already?

Allen condemned Israel’s suspension of external aid into Gaza for security reasons, then called its resumption of aid “foolhardy,” and demanded that Jerusalem “open up the floodgates” into Gaza.

This is a stunning statement given that Allen has admitted publicly that Hamas steals aid into Gaza, and in so doing, is calling on Israel to effectively help finance Hamas’ terrorism war machine.

One irony in these two segments is that they demonstrate how the slanders of the anti-Israel movement change by the day and sometimes even within the segment. Just minutes apart, Allen simultaneously complained that Israel does not allow enough Gazans to leave, and at the same time, complained that Israel is somehow plotting to take over the strip. Such mental gymnastics would put participants in Cirque du Soleil to shame.

For Zandbergen and her radio program, despite being funded by the Canadian taxpayer, there is apparently no need nor obligation to serve a public interest and present both ‘sides,’ or indeed, even a full comprehensive picture to listeners. Instead, in two segments, she presented Israel as the culprit behind the Hamas-launched war, ignoring that the fastest and simplest way for the violence to end is for the terrorist group to free the hostages and surrender.