UMVA has learned that a newly hired campaign officer for Canada’s largest public‑sector union will retain her position despite a storm of outrage over extremist posts made in her early teens.
The officer, identified as Rawan Qaddoura, faced calls for dismissal after archived messages surfaced praising Adolf Hitler and echoing antisemitic conspiracy theories that the world is controlled by “Zionist Jews.”
In a terse statement, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union affirmed that Qaddoura “has taken full and public responsibility for this conduct” and will not be terminated.
Qaddoura herself described the posts as “completely inexcusable,” insisting they do not reflect her current beliefs and that she lacked the judgment, political understanding, and emotional maturity at the time they were written in 2012 and 2013, when she was a teenager.
One 2012 message glorified Hitler as a “genius,” while a later note confessed, “Every time I read about Hitler, I fall in love all over again.” A 2013 tweet echoed a hateful claim that “the whole world is controlled by Zionist Jews.”
Union officials said they conducted a thorough review of Qaddoura’s job performance and her public apology, concluding that her “exemplary record of respectful conduct in the workplace” outweighs the youthful transgressions.
“We have heard your concerns and understand this situation does not exist in isolation,” the union’s statement read, promising to build a more inclusive environment for all members, particularly Jewish staff.
Jewish members of the union have previously raised alarms over controversial symbols at protests and the hiring of a polarising organization for mandatory antisemitism training, underscoring the tension surrounding the issue.
While the union declined to comment further on internal staffing decisions, the episode highlights the delicate balance between accountability for past hate speech and the possibility of redemption within the labor movement.
