Montreal, October 21, 2023 [Signatories updated November 7] - Below is a joint statement from a broad and representative cross-section of Canadian civil society to demand an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. Signatories include labour, faith, community (Arab, Palestinian, Jewish), civil society, and peace and justice organizations.

People in Canada are watching in horror as the violence in Israel-Palestine has escalated towards an all-out war.

On Tuesday, the bombing of the Anglican Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City killed hundreds of people, most of them children. Over 5,000 people had been sheltering inside. This is a war crime.

In just a matter of days, thousands have been killed following Hamas’ attack and the Israeli government’s response.

We unequivocally condemn the targeting of innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

As representatives of leading pan-Canadian labour, faith, Arab, Jewish, and civil society organizations, we are calling on the Government of Canada to take these steps: 

• Call for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in Israel-Palestine

• Call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the restoration of humanitarian aid and access to the basic necessities of life

We endorse the Canadian government’s call for humanitarian aid to Gaza and the safe return of hostages. These demands cannot be meaningfully addressed without an immediate ceasefire and while Israel's blockade of Gaza continues.

Gaza is facing a “complete siege” as food, water, electricity, and fuel have been cut off. Gaza’s last functioning seawater desalination plant shut down on Sunday after running out of fuel. Water and sanitation services have collapsed in the wake of widespread bombing.

UN shelters have also run out of water and hospital workers are warning that thousands more civilians could die if access to water, fuel, and medicine is not restored.

The already dire humanitarian crisis is rapidly deteriorating.

The Israeli government’s order to a million Gazans to evacuate to the south–an impossible feat in 24 hours–suggests that a ground war and intensifying bombing are imminent.

Our most urgent task is preventing the further loss of life and an even greater humanitarian disaster than what we have already witnessed in Gaza. An all-out war would bring catastrophe to the entire region.

As hostilities escalate, they are fuelling a rise of Anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism in Canada–which we also unequivocally condemn.

Beyond these immediate steps, the world must support efforts for a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine and address the root cause of the violence: Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory.

Palestinians, Israelis, and all people in the region deserve to live in peace and security and with justice for all.

Signatories: 

1. 350 Canada

2. Academic Foundation for Peace-Conflict Studies (AFPCS)

3. Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of British Columbia (AMSSA)

4. Alter Acadie, New Brunswick

5. Alternatives

6. Arab Canadian Lawyers Association

7. ArtHouseTO

8. Asian Canadian Labour Alliance - British Columbia

9. Asian Canadian Labour Alliance - Ontario

10. Asian Canadian Women Alliance

11. Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians

12. Association of United Ukrainian Canadians

13. Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI)

14. Atlantic Canada Palestine Society - Saint John

15. Atlantic Canada Palestinian Society - Halifax

16. Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network

17. ATSA - Quand l'Art passe à l'Action

18. Aura Freedom International

19. BC Poverty Reduction Coalition

20. Black Lives Matter - Canada

21. Bridges Not Borders / Créons des ponts

22. Bureau Of Power And Light

23. Calgary Alliance for the Common Good

24. Calgary Unitarians

25. Cana Palestine Association Halifax

26. Canada Social Work Students Collective for Palestine

27. Canada Stand Up for Palestinian Children’s Rights

28. Canadian Arab Federation

29. Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID) / L’association canadienne d’études du développement international (ACÉDI)

30. Canadian Boat to Gaza

31. Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity

32. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

33. Canadian Council for Refugees / Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés

34. Canadian Freelance Union / Le Syndicat canadien des pigistes (CLU)

35. Canadian Friends of Sabeel

36. Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)

37. Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR)

38. Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM)

39. Canadian Palestinian Professional Foundation

40. Canadian Palestinian Social Association of London

41. Canadian Peace Congress

42. Canadian Union of Postal Workers / Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses des postes

43. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) / Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP)

44. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario / Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP) Ontario

45. Canadian Unitarian Council

46. Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

47. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

48. Center for Human Rights Research, University of Manitoba

49. Centre international de solidarité ouvrière (CISO)

50. Centre justice et foi

51. Child Care Now / Un enfant Une place

52. Citizen Rights Movement (CRM)

53. Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ)

54. Climate Emergency Unit

55. Climate Justice Edmonton

56. Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations

57. Coalition of Child Care Advocates of British Columbia

58. Collaboration Santé Internationale

59. Conscience Canada

60. Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain CSN

61. Conseil régional Montréal métropolitain FTQ

62. Council of Canadians - Campbell River

63. Council of Canadians - Edmonton

64. Council of Canadians - Fredericton

65. Council of Canadians - Hamilton

66. Council of Canadians - Kitchener-Waterloo

67. Council of Canadians - London

68. Council of Canadians - Mid-Island - Nanaimo

69. Council of Canadians - Powell River

70. Council of Canadians - Saskatoon

71. Council of Canadians - Victoria

72. Dogwood

73. Egyptian Canadian Collation for Democracy (ECCD)

74. Equality Fund / Fonds égalité

75. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

76. Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE)

77. Femmes de diverses origines / Women of diverse origins

78. Femmes en Mouvement du Québec

79. Filipinas of HamOnt

80. Fondation Béati / Béati Foundation

81. Fondation Logis Rose Virginie

82. Fondation Oscar Romero

83. Force of Nature

84. Foyer du Monde / Home of the World

85. Fredericton Palestine Solidarity

86. Fridays for Future Manitoba

87. Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU)

88. Game Workers Unite Montréal

89. Good To Be Good

90. Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War

91. Health Providers Against Poverty

92. Hearing Palestine

93. House of PainT

94. Human Concern International

95. Humanité & Inclusion Canada

96. Independent Jewish Voices Canada

97. Inspirit Foundation

98. International Coalition For Human Rights in the Philippines Canada

99. Iranian Canadian Congress

100. IMA - Islamic Missionary Association

101. Islamic Relief of Canada

102. Island Peace Committee

103. Jesuit Refugee Service Canada

104. Jewish Faculty Network

105. John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

106. Justice for All Canada

107. Kairos Halifax

108. Kairos SWO

109. Kamloops Islamic Association

110. L’Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada

111. l'Association des juristes progressistes

112. La Maison Turquoise

113. La Maisonnee

114. Law Union of Ontario

115. Le Centre de réfugiés / The Refugee Centre

116. Le CIBLES - Carrefour international bas-laurentien pour l'engagement social

117. Le Mouvement d'éducation populaire et d'action communautaire du Québec (MÉPACQ)

118. Living Skies Regional Council, The United Church of Canada

119. Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

120. Maquila Solidarity Network

121. Martha Justice Ministry - Sisters of St. Martha

122. Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax

123. Médecins du Monde Canada / Doctors of the World Canada

124. Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

125. Middle Eastern Society of the University of New Brunswick

126. Migrant Workers Centre of British Columbia

127. missINFORMED

128. Montréal pour la paix

129. Montréal pour un monde sans guerre

130. Mothers for World Peace

131. Mouvement contre le viol et l'inceste (MCVI)

132. Mouvement québécois pour la paix

133. Multi-Agency Partnership of BC (MAP BC)

134. National Council of Canadian Muslims

135. National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

136. New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice / Front commun pour la justice sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick

137. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association

138. Oblates Franciscaines de Saint-Joseph

139. On Canada Project Inc.

140. Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses (OAITH)

141. Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care

142. Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)

143. Ottawa Forum Israel Palestine

144. Ottawa Muslim Women's Organization (OMWO)

145. Oxfam Canada

146. Oxfam Québec

147. Palestine Solidarity Committee of Saint John

148. Palestinian Canadian Academics and Artists Network (PCAAN)

149. PalNet Pacific Mountain

150. PalNet Shining Waters

151. Pastorale sociale de Côte-des-Neiges

152. Pastorale sociale de Rosemont

153. People for Peace, London

154. Peterborough & District Labour Council

155. Photographers Without Borders

156. Pivot Legal Society

157. Point Blank

158. Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) / L'institut professionnel de la fonction publique du Canada (IPFPC)

159. Progress Belleville

160. Progress Toronto

161. Public Service Alliance of Canada / L’Alliance de la Fonction publique du Canada

162. Rainbow Refugee Society

163. Refugee Health YYC

164. Regina Peace Council

165. Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick

166. Regroupement intersectoriel des organismes communautaires de Montréal

167. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal, Social Action Office

168. Run for Palestine

169. Save the Children Canada

170. Science for Peace

171. Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Toronto

172. Soeurs Auxiliatrices, Québec

173. Sojourn House

174. South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia

175. South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

176. South Shore Ceasefire Now

177. Sustainable Human Empowerment (SHE) Associates Inc.

178. Syndicat des enseignantes et enseignants du cégep Montmorency

179. Syndicat des travailleuses et des travailleurs du Centre de Santé Tulattavik de l'Ungava / Ungava Tulattavik Health Center Union

180. Syndicats des travailleuses et des travailleurs de la CSN

181. Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI)

182. Table ronde des organismes volontaires d’éducation populaire de l’Outaouais

183. The United Church of Canada

184. Toronto Artists for Palestine

185. Toronto Quakers Peace and Social Action Committee

186. Travailleuses et Travailleurs pour la Justice Climatique (TJC) / Workers for Climate Justice (WCJ)

187. Unifor

188. United Jewish People’s Order

189. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel

190. United Steelworkers Local 1998

191. Urban Alliance on Race Relations

192. Vancouver Coastal Health

193. Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees

194. Victoria Peace Coalition

195. Victoria Raging Grannies

196. Wilderness Committee

197. Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism

198. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

199. Women’s Shelters Canada / Hébergement femmes Canada

200. World Beyond War

To add your organization’s name to this statement, please email [email protected] or click here.