Montreal, October 1, 2026  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has issued the following statement in response to a document published by Public Safety Canada that designates anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism:

Updated and Revised August 2026 This report warns that despite Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) economically subsumes the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and illegal Israeli settlements under trade with the State of Israel, running counter to international law and official Canadian foreign policy opposing settlements. Titled "Annexing Palestine Through Trade: The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and the Occupied Palestinian Territories," the report provides an updated analysis of Canada’s trade policy with Israel and Palestine in light of the international law context of the last three years. Click here to download the report as a PDF, or read the Executive Summary and Summary of Recommendations below.

The Canadian Government appears to be creeping towards the censorship of speech and activism in support of Palestinian human rights. Public Safety Canada recently published a document that described anti-Zionism wholly as a form of antisemitism. Pro-Israel lobby organizations have been asking Canada to conflate these terms for years, to shut down debate about Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. We must push back against this statement. We know that it is completely legitimate to oppose Zionism, which is the political ideology behind the creation of the state of Israel. Like all nationalist ideologies rooted in colonialism, it is not simply benign. Zionism is experienced by Palestinians as dispossession and oppression, due to the historic planned mass ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine by Zionist forces, and Israel’s ongoing crimes of occupation, apartheid, and genocide. Anti-Zionism is a legitimate form of expression against concrete injustices against the Palestinian people. We cannot allow our government to silence these perspectives. Join us in calling on Minister of Public Safety Anandasangaree to retract this statement and affirm that anti-Zionism is a legitimate form of political expression.

Click here to download FAQ in PDF format CJPME Factsheet 252, published September 17, 2026: This factsheet addresses frequently asked questions about Canada's announcement that it intends to introduce a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. It explores whether the proposed trade ban will make a meaningful difference, how it aligns with international law, how much trade Canada does with Israeli settlements, and whether it will harm Palestinians.