On December 11, 2024, at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Canada voted “YES” for two important resolutions: 1) in support of a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and 2) defending UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestine refugees, against Israel’s attacks. While these votes are themselves important, they are part of a broader shift this year: Canada has finally abandoned its staunchly pro-Israel voting record at the UN in favour of a much more balanced approach. CJPME has been tracking Canada’s voting at the UN for years, and year after year, we have pressured the Trudeau government to stop favouring Israel. Our “UN Dashboard” documents Canada’s voting record on sixteen annual UN resolutions on Palestine-Israel going back 25 years. For years, Canada has voted “NO” on almost all resolutions supporting Palestinian human rights. This policy was brought in under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and was maintained for many years under Justin Trudeau. This year, finally, we have seen Canada take a dramatically different approach, voting “YES” on the majority of resolutions. But it shouldn’t have taken a genocide to get Canada to support human rights! We also do not know if this trend will continue next year, or if Canada will revert back to its pro-Israel position. Nonetheless, it is a significant positive step that would not have been possible without years of pressure campaigns, and the participation of tens of thousands of our supporters like you. Supporting our work If you think CJPME’s work in tracking Canada’s voting, and pushing for better is important, would you consider making a donation to our work?  Monthly donations are especially helpful, as they help us plan and budget.  But all donations are deeply appreciated.  See all donation options here. Continue reading

Today we mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Israel's genocide in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank are aimed at destroying the Palestinian people, and Canada is nowhere to be found. But finally, decisions this year by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) offer a glimmer of hope that Israeli leaders could be held accountable. But it is up to all of us to push to make this a reality. See CJPME's statement on the "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" below. Canadians ceaselessly continue to push their government to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. We invite you to join events (see below) going on in your area. If you are organizing an upcoming event or demonstration, please consider submitting it on our events submission form so we can include it in future email announcements.   Prior to the list of events/protests (below), we highlight a number of key statements, campaigns, and a podcast episode from this week. Continue reading

Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians have protested Israel’s brutality in Palestine, while millions more have pressured our politicians through email campaigns. In parallel, CJPME lobbyists have been pounding the pavement on Parliament Hill to galvanize our politicians to action. Below, we highlight some of our accomplishments as a result of this crucial behind-the-scenes work.  If you like what you see in the highlights below, please consider donating to support our work.  Amid a genocide, it can be hard to maintain optimism or see meaningful progress. But it’s our duty to persist, and the CJPME team will continue to pressure our elected officials to force an end to the bloodshed. Continue reading

In early 2022, CJPME launched our“Media Accountability Project” (MAP), an initiative to challenge Canadian media biasagainst Palestinians and their narratives.  Every day, our MAP team of staff and volunteers send letters to media outlets pushing for more balanced and informed coverage.  Click here to see the hundreds of instances where we've influenced coverage, and the hundreds of "media alerts" that have mobilized our team of "media responders."   And while the MAP has consistently been effective at getting changes and improving media coverage in Canada, the past few weeks have seen some huge and significant wins.  If you like what you see in the highlights below, please consider donating to support our work.  And if you want to participate, consider signing up as a "media responder."   Today, the CJPME Palestine Debrief podcast also just published an interview of the MAP's Director, Jason Toney.  Check out the podcast for a conversation between Toney and podcast host Wissam El Cheikh Hassan around how to combat the "Palestine Exception" in Canadian Media!   Continue reading

    Please join CJPME in welcoming eight new Board members to the organization. These brilliant individuals join our existing Board to begin a new era for the organization. Each of our board members, both current and new, brings expertise to strengthen and empower our organization. In the month ahead, the expanded Board will take on several important new initiatives related to the future of the organization, including the creation of a new strategic plan. Read the bios of our Board leaders below, and please join us in giving a hearty welcome to the newcomers and in thanking our long-serving veterans. Building a solidarity organization for the future The past 12 months have been intense ones for CJPME staff and the Board.  We have responded to Israel's genocide in Gaza, its war on Lebanon, and its brutal crimes in the West Bank. If you support our critical work, please consider making a donation to CJPME. Monthly donations are especially helpful, as they sustain our ongoing work. If you don't like to give by credit card, you can give via email transfer, over the phone (438-380-5410), or by completing and mailing in this form. Thank you. Continue reading

This week we are entering the second year of Israel's genocide in Gaza, while in parallel, Israel expands its brutal assault on Lebanon. Many organizations are responding with protests and actions, and we invite you to join events (see below) going on in your area.  f you are organizing an upcoming event or demonstration, please consider submitting it on our events submission form so we can include it in future email announcements. Also consider participating in the urgent campaigns that we highlight below. Continue reading

September 12, 2024 Canada is starting to move closer to an arms embargo on Israel. On Tuesday, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced that she has taken further action to limit Canadian weapons sales to Israel. She claimed that Canada has suspended about 30 existing permits for weapons to Israel, and that the government is opposed to the deal for 50,000 Quebec-made “highly explosive” mortars to be sent to the Israeli military via the United States. This is a huge step forward that wouldn’t have been possible without pressure from CJPME, the Arms Embargo Now network, and all our friends in the Palestine solidarity movement – including the tens of thousands of you who supported our campaigns! As encouraging as it appears, however, Joly’s statement raises several other questions, demonstrating that much more needs to be done to achieve a full arms embargo on Israel. We look at some of the key issues below.   Continue reading

Summer is here, and MPs are in their ridings for the next three months. It's an opportune time to meet your MP and pressure them on Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.  For almost 9 months, CJPME has pressured our elected officials in Ottawa. CJPME staff have met with Ministers, key bureaucrats, and opposition parties. In parallel, many of you have emailed, phone-called, and taken to the streets in solidarity every single week.   Now is a great time to shift our game to the local ridings. With our work these past few months, we can claim some collective victories, as we have forced Canada to take several measures in support of Palestinian rights. While our victories (changing Canada's position on ceasefires, arms embargoes, aid to UNRWA, etc.) are partial, incomplete, and deeply inadequate to address the ongoing genocide, we owe it to the Palestinians to persevere.  Can you schedule an appointment to meet with yours? We provide you with all the position papers, factsheets, info and other support you might need. Continue reading