Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

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CJPME: Israel-UAE Agreement Does Not End Threat of Israeli Annexation

Montreal, August 13, 2020 — In light of today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that the threat of Israeli annexation remains as urgent as ever. A widely reported statement published today by the United States claims that Israel “will suspend” its annexation plans in exchange for normalization with the UAE. However, an Israeli official told the Times of Israel that Israel remains committed to annexation, and that “The Trump administration asked to temporarily suspend the announcement [of annexation] in order to first implement the historic peace agreement with the UAE.”

CJPME: Canada Must Increase Support to Lebanon

**Update: Later on August 10, Prime Minister Trudeau announced greater humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, including a new expanded maximum of $5 million on matching donations through the Lebanon Matching Fund, as well as an additional $25 million.** Montreal, August 10, 2020 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to increase its humanitarian support to Lebanon by removing the $2 million cap on matching donations through the Lebanon Matching Fund.

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Make the Middle East a Nuclear-Free Zone

The proposal for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East was formally introduced by Iran and Egypt in a resolution submitted to the UN General Assembly in 1974. This UN resolution initiated the global push for nuclear disarmament in the region. In 1995, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference adopted a resolution which called upon states to take the necessary measures to ensure the establishment of a NWFZ in the Middle East. Despite officially supporting the creation of a NWFZ in the Middle East, Canada has consistently voted against resolutions that call upon Israel to sign the NPT and dismantle its nuclear weapons program. It has also repeatedly blocked resolutions calling for a regional conference on the establishment of a NWFZ. Canada should play a more active role in advancing negotiations on a NWFZ in the Middle East. Instead of blocking attempts to convene a conference on this matter, Canada should lead the push for disarmament in the region. Canada should leverage its relationship with Israel in order to encourage its participation in disarmament negotiations.

Cease Arms Sales to Autocratic Governments

In recent years, Canada has soared in global rankings to become the second largest arms dealer to the Middle East. Its position as such is largely owed to its $15-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia—the largest military contract in Canadian history. Aside from Saudi Arabia, Canada also sells a considerable amount annually in defence and security equipment to Egypt ($2.8 million in 2017) and the United Arab Emirates ($6.3 million in 2017). Each of these countries has been deemed “not free” by watchdog organization Freedom House, with Saudi Arabia ranking among the worst of the worst on human rights. Nonetheless, the Canadian government has continued to sell weapons and military technology to these autocratic regimes. In order to comply fully with the requirements outlined in the Arms Trade Treaty, Canada must cancel what is left of its $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The Liberal Party cannot condemn Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses while simultaneously arming the very same regime.

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Position Paper: Response to Motion M-153

This chart compares the various violent incidents cited by Scott Reid's Motion 153 and shows how they fail to relate to each other, contrary to what the motion suggests.

Position Paper: Quebec’s Bill 21: Islamophobia manifested again

Bill 21, which in the name of government “secularism,” will now bar Quebeckers who wear religious symbols from taking certain government positions. Despite months of public outcry and severe criticism from human rights groups, the Quebec government passed Bill 21 into law on June 16th. Bill 21 will further entrench division and difference, while infringing on the democratic values of Quebeckers, such as the rights to religious equality and gender equality.

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