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.

More about Canada’s voting and Palestinian human rights at the UN

There are about 10-16 resolutions on Palestinian human rights which are considered annually by the UN General Assembly each fall (although this number has been reduced in recent years). These resolutions cover a range of longstanding and important issues related to international law, from Israel’s illegal settlements, to UNRWA (the UN aid agency for Palestine refugees), to the Status of Jerusalem.

Through the early 2000s, Canada voted YES in support of nearly all of these resolutions. However, this approach radically changed under the Harper government, which in 2011 began voting against nearly every one of them as a package.

When Justin Trudeau came to power in 2015, he continued to vote according to the pattern established by Harper. Only in 2019 did Trudeau make a small shift by resuming Canada’s vote in favour of a single resolution on Palestinian self-determination. In 2023, Trudeau switched a second vote in support of UNRWA, while continuing to oppose all other resolutions: Canada’s voting total for the year was 2 YES to 5 NO.

How Canada voted this year

This year, our months and years of pressure paid off: Canada made a massive departure from its recent pattern by voting YES on 5 out of the 7 annual resolutions. In addition to maintaining the previous votes on Palestinian self-determination and UNRWA, Canada surprised us all by voting YES on the following resolutions:

• Canada voted YES to condemn Israel’s illegal settlements and affirm the ICJ advisory opinion that Israel must withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory (for the first time since 2010).
• Canada voted YES to uphold the right of Palestinian refugees to their properties (for the first time since 2010).
• Canada voted YES to support a peaceful settlement of the Question of Palestine (for the first time since 2004).

In addition to the usual resolutions that come up every year, Canada also voted for several unique resolutions. These include:

• Canada ABSTAINED on a vote in support of Palestinian statehood (but previously would have voted NO).
• Canada ABSTAINED on a vote in support of the ICJ’s advisory opinion (but previously voted NO on similar matters).
• Canada voted YES for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
• Canada voted YES to support UNRWA against Israel’s attacks.

CJPME’s initiatives

If you have been following CJPME for a while, you know that we have been a leading voice urging Canada to change its votes to align with international law. You may have participated in some of our many e-mail actions urging our government to vote “YES” for Palestinian rights. CJPME has been interviewed by the media, lobbied MPs, and has presented to the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group on this matter.

In 2020, CJPME launched the UN Dashboard to visually highlight Canada’s change in votes over the years. This interactive resource allows Canadians to see clearly how their government shifted from voting overwhelmingly “YES” in the early 2000s to mostly “NO” in recent years. CJPME updates the dashboard every year to track Canada’s progress (or lack thereof).

In 2022, CJPME issued a report demonstrating that the Trudeau government’s staunchly pro-Israel voting record at the United Nations runs counter to the advice of the country's foreign policy experts at Global Affairs Canada. Using documents obtained via an Access to Information request, the report showed that - according to Canada’s career foreign affairs officials - Canada's pro-Israel voting at the United Nations contradicts its own values and interests and damages its international reputation. The documents included a secret memo from Global Affairs Canada officials which recommended that Canada end its uniformly pro-Israel approach at the UN.

While this year’s votes correct a mistake that never should have been made, we need to be vigilant to ensure that Canada doesn’t simply backtrack next year. Our politicians need to know that we expect them to stand up for international law, and not align themselves with Israel in a tiny minority on the world stage.

Can you help us? 

If you believe in what CJPME is doing to influence the Canadian government and its voting at the United Nations, please consider making a gift of financial support to CJPME. Our work depends entirely on private donations. Monthly donations are especially helpful, as they sustain our ongoing work and make it easier for us to strategize for the future. If you don't like to donate by credit card, you may donate via email transfer, over the phone (438-380-5410), or complete and mail in this form.