How to Use This Guide

This guide should be used by individuals and organizations alike to screen candidates in the lead-up to the 2019 Federal Election, and also to engage them in discussion on important issues affecting the Middle East. It is important to get candidates thinking about the situation in Israel-Palestine and to garner their support for the policy positions outlined here. Candidates should understand that these points are important to many Canadians. Therefore, if they wish to gain public support, they must commit to action on these issues.

This document contains seven different policy positions, each one structured in a similar fashion:

  • Every point includes an Overview section, which provides necessary context and background information. This section will allow you to be well-informed and well-versed when engaging in conversation with candidates.
  • The Questions for Federal Candidates portion outlines some questions that you may use should you encounter pushback from candidates. This section also includes some questions that may be used to push for commitments from candidates, should they be elected. Candidates’ answers to these questions will also help you determine whether or not they are serious about supporting human rights and justice in Palestine-Israel.
  • Following this section, you will find our Supporting Points, which should help you validate and substantiate your claims throughout your conversation. This section outlines how a given policy position is supported by international law, UN resolutions, or other credible sources. It also delineates Canada’s official foreign policy in relation to this issue, and how government practices often contradict this policy.
  • The final section, Recommendations for Canada, puts forth some suggestions for ways that Canada’s foreign policy may be reoriented and improved.

As you move through the document, feel free to pick and choose the points in this guide that resonate most with you.

In reading this guide, you will come to see that the Canadian government’s current practices often do not match its stated foreign policy objectives. If this frustrates you, we encourage you to challenge candidates and take action. Our hope is that this document inspires both the candidates and the electorate to get vocal, get organized and make a difference.