Montreal, January 6, 2025 – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as an important opportunity for the Liberal government to decisively shift course on Gaza. From 2015 to 2025, Trudeau’s approach to Israel and Palestine was marked by a continuation of the Harper Government’s staunchly pro-Israel policies, demonstrating extreme indifference to Palestinian human rights and open disdain towards international law. CJPME believes that the incoming Liberal leadership should finally break from the past and choose a new path that upholds Palestinian human rights, starting with sanctions on Israeli leaders.

“When Trudeau came to power nearly a decade ago, he claimed that ‘Canada is back’ on the world stage. Once in office, however, he shamefully continued the Harper-era approach of sacrificing Palestinian lives to build closer ties with Israel,” said Michael Bueckert, Interim President of CJPME. “While we have finally seen some positive changes to Canada’s policy in recent months, notably the change in voting at the United Nations, Trudeau ultimately leaves behind a sordid legacy of complicity in Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza,” added Bueckert.

Trudeau has consistently maintained a hostile attitude towards the Palestine solidarity movement at home, including voting in 2016 to condemn Canadians who boycott Israel. Anti-Palestinian racism has become even more embedded in government policy under Trudeau, including through the imposition of the pro-censorship “IHRA Handbook” which conflates criticism and protest of Israel with antisemitism. “With his relentless smears against Canadians who stand up for Palestinian human rights, Trudeau has created a climate of repression for Palestinians and their allies. With new leadership, however, the Liberals will have an opportunity to affirm and protect the right to speak out against genocide and Zionism,” said Bueckert.

CJPME argues that there are several important measures that the government can take while Parliament is prorogued. To correct the Trudeau legacy, the Liberal cabinet must:

• Immediately impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel using the Special Economic Measures Act;
• Acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide and promise to collaborate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the arrest and prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes;
• Withdraw Canada’s support for the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism (and the IHRA Handbook), and affirm the right of Canadians to protest Israel’s human rights abuses;
• Recognize anti-Palestinian racism and incorporate it within Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy;
• Recognize the State of Palestine.