Months after Parliament voted to stop sending arms to Israel, Canadians are still left in the dark about the arms trade. After approving a skyrocketing number of weapons exports in the first months of Israel’s genocidal war, Foreign Affairs Minister Joly refuses to provide the public information about these sales: how many weapons were sent to Israel, what were they, how were they used, and has Canada violated international law? Canadians deserve answers.

Student groups at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic) have joined the global movement of student encampments in solidarity with Palestine. Like student activists across Canada, the student groups have demanded that UBC and UVic divest from companies that arm Israel and are complicit in the oppression, occupation and genocide of Palestinians. The demands also call on UBC and UVic to boycott Israeli academic institutions and publicly condemn the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. So far, UBC and UVic have refused to engage with the student protestors or their demands, and this must change!

On April 29, the student groups Palestinian Students Association and Integrity not Spite for Falastin (INSAF) at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) began their encampment in solidarity with Palestinians. Like the coalition groups at McGill University, the student groups made three important demands, including “complete divestment from any and all corporations involved directly and indirectly in the surveillance, occupation, and murder of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.” Unfortunately, the Administration at uOttawa have made no efforts to take the demands of the student protestors seriously, expressing their manufactured concerns about health and safety. Despite meeting with the student protestors, their demands have gone unanswered and remain unacknowledged.

On May 2,the student group Occupy for Palestine started an encampment in solidarity with Palestine at the University of Toronto (UofT.) Similar to the student groups at McGill University and around the world, the students have called on the university to divest from all “direct and indirect investments that sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine.”  Unfortunately, the UofT has refused to take the concerns of the encampment protestors seriously and is threatening to disband the protest with manufactured concerns about “health and safety” and related items.

On Saturday, a coalition of student groups in solidarity with Palestine began a protest encampment on the McGill Campus. Among their demands, the students have called on the university to divest “from all complicit companies and cut all academic ties with Israeli institutions.” When the students refused to leave until their demands were met, McGill President Deep Saini threatened police intervention. The McGill Administration must listen to the students' demands and divest from Israeli institutions complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people!

Last week, Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly Ted Arnott banned the wearing of keffiyehs in legislative buildings, claiming it is an overt “political statement.” Banning the keffiyeh is discriminatory and racist towards Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. Not only does the keffiyeh ban violate Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms but it is a form of anti-Palestinian racism. By banning the keffiyeh, the Ontario Legislature is suppressing and censoring Palestinians and their allies. The Ontario Legislative Assembly MUST reverse this racist ban immediately.

Over the last 6 months, Palestinians and their allies in Canada have been under attack by right-wing and pro-Israel groups for standing up for Palestinian human rights and against Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. More concerning is that this anti-Palestinian rhetoric is being mirrored by elected officials and civil servants across the country. Canada has an anti-Palestinian racism problem and it’s time to stand up and say that enough is enough. Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy is due to be rereleased this spring, and it must finally address this problem. Palestinians cannot wait any longer for the government to acknowledge the systemic racism against Palestinians in Canada.

Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to prevent genocide by ending its restrictions on aid into Gaza. For months, UN experts have warned of the risk of imminent famine in Gaza, as Israel deliberately uses starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinians. For the past six months, little to no food, clean water or fuel has entered Gaza, leading to high levels of hunger and malnutrition. People are starving to death. While Canada has pledged financial aid, expressed support for airdropping aid, and supports a “humanitarian sea corridor,” none of these measures address the central problem: Israel’s blockade. More than 2 million people in Gaza are at risk, as starvations and famine are spreading. Canada must put meaningful pressure on Israel to end its siege and allow the entry of aid into Gaza.

On March 18, Parliament will finally be voting on an important motion in support of Palestine. This the first opportunity since Oct. 7 that MPs will be asked to vote individually on questions related to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, so this is extremely significant.   The motion, introduced by the NDP, includes important proposals on how to respond to Israel’s current genocidal war on Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has ensued. These include an immediate ceasefire, an arms embargo, the resumption of aid funding for UNRWA, and more – items that CJPME and others have advocated for months. Please join CJPME in demanding that all MPs vote in support of the NDP motion on March 18.

Israel’s actions in Gaza show a pattern of war crimes and point to a “genocide in the making,” according to UN experts. Despite this, an unknown number of Canadians have chosen to travel to Israel and voluntarily participate in Israel’s military offensive. The participation of Canadians in the IDF raises the serious likelihood that they are involved in crimes against humanity, war crimes, and even acts of genocide. Canada is legally obliged to investigate and prosecute Canadians who commit war crimes overseas. Canada must launch an investigation into Canadians serving or volunteering with the IDF for possible complicity in war crimes.