An Introduction to the Asper Foundation and its Connections to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights
Through the Asper Foundation, large donations have been made to health care, arts, and community organizations in Canada including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, as well as organizations in Israel. With funds going to Israel to support war crimes and genocide and support for anti-Palestinian racism, these donations represent art-washing, health-washing, and community-washing.
Noted for his commitment to Winnipeg, Israel (Izzy) Asper launched the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2003 to fulfill his dream of learning for students about human rights.
As a life-long, public zionist, Israel Asper had very close ties to Israel and was supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2002, the Foundation co-sponsored multi-city Canadian speaking tour for Benjamin Netanyahu (then former PM) with the State of Israel Bonds and other Canadian groups.
A bit about Israel (Izzy) Asper and his family
Israel (Izzy) Asper received his law degree from the University of Manitoba and founded the firm of Asper, Freedman and Co. in 1959. He married Ruth Bernstein (Babs) in 1956 and together they raised David, Gail and Leonard. After receiving a Master of Laws he became a well-known tax lawyer. He was leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party politics from 1970-75. Israel Asper became involved in the television business, creating CanWest Global Communications which included a national TV network, other thematic channels, the daily National Post, over 30 other Canadian newspapers, and holdings around the world.
He became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995 and died in 2003. The Canadian Heraldic Authority through the Governor General of Canada created a coat of arms for Israel Asper in January 2003.
As co-founder and Chair of the Asper Foundation, Babs Asper was active in the Jewish community as well as the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Manitoba Opera and in fundraising for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. She was made an Honorary Fellow of the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Centre in Israel. She died in 2011.
After the death of Israel Asper, his son David became Chair of the Asper Foundation. Gail and Leonard are trustees. Gail is President of the Asper Foundation.
David is Chair of the Manitoba Police Commission. As a lawyer, he successfully represented David Milgaard in overturning a wrongful conviction case. He followed his father in a career in media with CanWest Global Communications before its assets were sold and it went into bankruptcy.
Leonard has noted that “a strong Israel is important to ensure peace, security and religious freedoms for all Jews whether they choose to live in Israel or not.” He founded Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a multinational company based in Toronto. Notably, Anthem Sports is responsible for sponsoring an Israeli propaganda ‘news’ station, i24NEWS, to be distributed in Canada.
Other relevant individuals at the Asper Foundation include Shai Waxman Abramson, Director of Israel Strategy and Programming.
The Asper Foundation
The Asper Foundation is a Winnipeg-based foundation created in 1983 by Israel and Babs Asper. The Foundation provides support to the “Jewish community and broader community in areas of culture, education, community development, and human rights on a national and international scale.”
The Foundation website indicates that the wealth generated from the CanWest Global Communications allowed Israel and Ruth (Babs) to create the Foundation, noting that “Israel is an inspiration to all”. In 2024, it had assets of nearly $234 million and made over $9 million worth of gifts to qualified donees.
Over the years, The Asper Foundation has made several large donations to a variety of causes in Winnipeg including the Manitoba Opera, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Foundation. It has also funded the Lyric Theatre in Assiniboine Park, the CanWest Centre for the Performing Arts at the Forks and the Asper Jewish Community Campus.
Within Canada, the Foundation has funded:
- Asper Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program for students with the Hamilton Jewish Federation. At the University of Winnipeg, the Asper Foundation created The Asper Centre for Theatre and Film.
- Manitoba Institute to Combat Antisemitism which offers training to educational institutions, professional groups and non-profits. Among the resources listed on the website is the problematic International Holocaust Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA).
- The Asper Jewish Community Campus is home to a variety of local Jewish agencies as well as Ben-Gurion University Canada (supporting the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev).
- The Foundation has made significant gifts to pro-Israel organizations including $4 million to the Jewish National Fund, which has since been revoked by the CRA; over $23 million to the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg/Combined Jewish Appeal, over $2 million to the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, and another $2 million to the United Israel Appeal of Canada. Other gifts include donations to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal, Birthright Israel – Canada, and B’nai Brith.
Outside Canada, the Asper Foundation has financially supported:
- Hebrew University Business School, establishing the Asper Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2001, with a USD $5 million grant to promote Israeli entrepreneurship.
- Asper International Holocaust Studies Program at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies was funded in 2002.
- The Israel Asper Community Action Center established in 2007, provides vocational training to youth, new immigrants and under-served populations. It is located in Ramot Alon, one of the large ring settlements of occupied East Jerusalem. The settlement is built on the Palestinian villages of Beit Iksa and Lifta.
- In 2021, the Asper Foundation gave $5 million USD to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Innovate Center to “advance research and create innovate technologies, bringing ideas to market. An article in the Canadian Jewish News implies that the Center would position Jerusalem as a “high-tech powerhouse”.
- The Asper Center for Zionist Education began in 2022 as a partnership with Shalem College in Jerusalem. The program at this center includes the Asper Chair in Zionist Studies, courses in Zionist history, a video series, and the “Israel Story” which brings Hebrew writers to campus.
- Created in 2024, The Asper Youth Empowerment Network (AYEN) is a national initative that supports Israeli youth in areas of leadership, creativity, social responsibility and identity, particularly in “Israel’s northern and southern periphery”.
- At the Reichman University, a private university in Herzliya, the Asper Foundation funded the Asper Institute for New Media Diplomacy which focuses on the use of new media technologies in telling Israel’s story.
- In 2023, the Asper Foundation sponsored a Women’s tour by the Jerusalem Business Development Center.
Since 2013, the Asper Foundation has sent over $1 million to Israel — directly to Shai Abramson, their Director of Israel Programming & Strategy. For a full list of donations to the associated charities, check out the tables below.
You can read about Aspers and other Canadian charities that support Israeli universities that are associated with the Israeli military at:
Tax Breaks for Genocide: How Canadian charities are funding Israeli universities
Related Asper family foundations
The Asper Family Foundation, led by Izzy and Bab’s children, supports arts and journalism in Canada. Its top three recipients over the years are:
- $30,600,000 to the Canadian Film Centre
- $30,000,000 to the Canadian Film Group (no business number)
- $30,000,000 to the UBC School fo Jounalism (no business number)
- $25,750,000 to the National Screen Institute
- $20,400,000 to McMaster University
The Gail Asper Family Foundation Inc. supports arts and cultural programs. Its top three recipients over the years are:
- $5,031,962 to the National Arts center Foundation
- $2,678,047 to the University of Manitoba
- $1,495,573 to the Winnipeg Foundation
The Joshua Foundation led by Leonard and his wife Susan supports Winnipeg and the Jewish community with a focus on domestic violence, education, poverty, and assistance to immigrants.
Incomplete reporting
Charities are reqiured to file accurate annual reports (T3010) with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Each of the associated foundations (Gail Asper Foundation, Asper Foundation, and Asper Family Foundation) have glaring errors in their T3010 filings.
For example, multiple incorrectly reported the business number (BN) for recipient charities (in some cases nearly 50% of the time). In most cases the full BN was not provided, and only a portion of the full string was listed.
- In at least 80 cases, representing over $1.1 million, the Gail Asper Foundation listed no BN for recipient charities.
- In several cases, the BN and name provided by the Gail Asper Foundation did not match. For instance, a total of $100,180 was listed as going to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba but the BN listed is associated with the Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal. In several instances, the name Dry Cold Production was listed as recipients, but three separate BN were listed. One BN was for Diabetes Canada ($15,000), another was for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre ($7,000).
- In over 100 cases, representing $136 million, the Asper Family Foundation listed no BN for recipient charities. This includes five donations in 2001 of $20 to $30 million each.
It actually might be illegal to be this messy.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Asper Foundation was proud of its partnership with the Government of Canada, Province of Manitoba, City of Winnipeg and The Forks North Portage Partnership to establish the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg in 2003. The Asper Foundation donated $24 million towards the creation of this museum.
Construction of the Museum was completed in 2012, and it is situated on Israel Asper Way. A crown corporation, which is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Museum has a commitment to demonstrate both Canada’s successes and failures in human rights. Gail Asper is an honorary trustee.
In 2024, the Foundation co-sponsored a discussion on anti-feminist violence related to October 7, 2023.
The Exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights “Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present”
Since June 2026, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has shown a small exhibit called Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present which recounts the displacement of Palestinian Canadians who were forced out or fled their homes in 1948. When the display was announced in 2025, The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs spoke out against the plan saying that the Museum had not engaged the broader Jewish community for input and that the exhibit was not “balanced”. Meanwhile, a coalition of three other Jewish groups (Independent Jewish Voices Canada, United Jewish People’s Order of Canada, and the Jewish Faculty Network) were supportive of the display.
Gail Asper, while saying the exhibit was “compelling” in its interviews with Palestinians, criticized the display in saying that the exhibit was missing context and was missing details such as the mention that Canada has labelled Hamas as a terrorist group, that Arab leaders rejected the 1947 UN resolution for Palestine to divide Palestine into two Arab and Jewish states. (In fact, Arab leaders had good reason to reject the plan. 55% of the land of Palestine was to be given to a Jewish state and just 42% to an Arab state, despite Palestinians comprising roughly 67% of the population).
Gail Asper expressed concern that the Nakba exhibit could fuel antisemitism in Canada. In July, she announced that the Asper Foundation was pausing its proposed $50,000 donation to support a Holocaust exhibit. She is also reportedly considering stepping down as honorary trustee.
The Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller, who initially said that it was not his place to comment on the display, later said that the Museum failed by not naming Hamas as a terrorist organization in the exhibit and that the Museum’s board should have had an opportunity to view the exhibit in advance calling it an “error in governance”. The Museum’s only Jewish trustee, Mark Berlin, resigned over the issue in June.
The Museum’s Executive Director, Isha Khan has stood firm in defending the exhibit, saying that the Museum consulted widely, and that it is a small exhibit which tells the experiences of one community’s story, like other exhibits at the Museum. She said that the Museum is committed to fighting antisemitism and that it intends to tell stories about Jewish displacement in the future.
