Does it exist? Yes, according to David Hirsh who launched the Engage website which seeks to address the ongoing multi-layered campaign for a cultural and academic boycott of Israel.

Hirsh is interviewed by the Independent here, and Jeff Weintraub has some valuable thoughts about all of this, as usual.

The phenomenon is by the way not just restricted to cultural and academic boycotts. Various public sector unions in Canada have developed a unique and focused foray into foreign affairs: a solid anti-Israel platform. Last year the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) ventured into this arena with its own Israel boycott. And before that, the BC Teachers Federation tried to pass a motion condemning Israel's security wall, but the union's excutive retreated following a public outcry and pressure from Jewish members and community groups. And only last week an anti-Israel motion from the Ontario teachers union was defeated by its membership:

An Ontario teachers union local in Toronto has overwhelmingly rejected a controversial motion asking for a condemnation of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

The motion, including a call to create classroom materials on the conflict and to support an international boycott of Israel, was brought to the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation by English teacher and Jewish activist Jason Kunin, who has often criticized the Israeli government, and Hyssam Hulays, a computer science teacher.

It had caused an uproar among Jewish advocacy organizations that feared the motion could result in anti-Semitism in the classroom.

While some may take comfort from the fact that these motions were never formally adopted, the frequency with which they are tabled leads me to believe that we haven't seen the last of them. And even without a formal union policy you have to wonder to what extent history and current affairs are being treated these days in Canada's public high schools.