This position paper presents a series of recommendations to Canadian officials, which together outline a constructive role for Canada in Palestine-Israel. These include:  Canada must engage with the growing consensus among human rights organizations that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid, as defined under international law; Canada must stand up for human rights defenders and oppose Israel’s criminalization of Palestinian NGOs; Canada should consistently and forcefully condemn all violations of human rights and international law; The Parliamentary discourse on Israel-Palestine must reflect the fact that there are no negotiations presently taking place between Israelis and Palestinians; Canada must stop attempting to block initiatives by Palestinians to seek justice and representation at the international level; Canada must provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians suffering as a result of the conflict; Parliamentarians must seek a deeper understanding of the existing dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and share that knowledge with Canadians.

In this policy note, CJPME calls for a major reorientation of Canadian policy towards the Middle East. CJPME urges Canadian politicians and officials to focus on immediate policy tools that can facilitate equality and human rights for both Palestinians and Israelis, rather than emphasizing a theoretical two-state solution as a potential political outcome. This shift in priorities is essential if Canada is serious about advancing the prospects of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Issued July 2021 Continue reading

On January 19, 2021, CJPME provided a submission to the Honorable Thomas Cromwell, leader of the University of Toronto External Review process into alleged interference in decisions regarding the hiring of a Director of the International Human Rights Program. CJPME's submission, titled "Protecting Academic Freedom on Israel-Palestine," criticizes the UofT’s alleged revocation of a job offer to Dr. Valentina Azarova based on her scholarship on Israel’s occupation, and explores this incident in the context of broader campaigns to shut down critical scholarship on Israel-Palestine. CJPME's full submission is available here as a .PDF, or copied below. Continue reading

On October 27, 2020, Doug Ford's Ontario Government announced that it had pulled the plug on Bill 168, a private member's bill that would have adopted the controversial IHRA working definition of antisemitism, and instead unilaterally adopted the IHRA definition through an Order-In-Council. This was announced less than 24 hours before civil society groups were preparing to testify about Bill 168 in public hearings before the Justice Policy committee. Over 100 individuals and organizations had applied to speak before the committee, including CJPME. Given this anti-democratic move to silence public opposition to IHRA, CJPME has decided to publish our written submission on IHRA as a threat to free speech on Israel and Palestine. CJPME's full submission is available here as a .PDF, or copied below. Continue reading

This chart compares the various violent incidents cited by Scott Reid's Motion 153 and shows how they fail to relate to each other, contrary to what the motion suggests.               Continue reading

Bill 21, which in the name of government “secularism,” will now bar Quebeckers who wear religious symbols from taking certain government positions. Despite months of public outcry and severe criticism from human rights groups, the Quebec government passed Bill 21 into law on June 16th. Bill 21 will further entrench division and difference, while infringing on the democratic values of Quebeckers, such as the rights to religious equality and gender equality. 

A mere three days prior to Israel’s April 9, 2019 elections, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if given a fifth consecutive term. This position paper argues that Canada should leverage its relationship with Israel to uphold international law and human rights.         

On Jan. 29, 2017, a lone gunman entered a mosque in Quebec City and opened fire on dozens of Muslim-Canadian worshipers.  By the time the shooting had ended, six had been tragically killed, and 19 more injured. The government of Canada should henceforth designate January 29th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia and other forms of religious discrimination as per the report from Parliament's Heritage Committee.

There is no yardstick by which we can compare suffering or horror, but Scott Reid’s attempt in M-153 to suggest strong associations among several violent incidents from Canadian history falls short. This position paper discusses how M-153 is a blatant attempt to downplay the problem of Islamophobia in Canada.            

In August, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s tweet criticizing Saudi Arabia’s arrest of a female activist trigged a strong Saudi backlash. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia has a disgraceful record on political and civil rights. This position paper discusses Canada's complex and contradictory relationship with Saudi Arabia.