Montreal, March 4, 2025 — Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland has been awarded a failing grade for her dismal record on Palestinian human rights, according to Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)’s Guide to the Liberal Leadership Candidates. Published today, CJPME’s guide features a comprehensive analysis of where each of the candidates stand on human rights in Palestine based on their voting records, social media, press statements, published interviews, leadership debates, and more. Perceived frontrunner Mark Carney also received poor marks for the lack of information about his views, sharing a grade of “D+” alongside former minister Karina Gould. At the top of the ranking, CJPME awarded Frank Baylis a “B-” as the candidate most likely to drive a positive change in Canada’s foreign policy.
Under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party has been a stubborn supporter of Israel despite its many documented human rights abuses, and even though only 22% of party supporters view Israel favourably. CJPME believes that the new Liberal leader will have an opportunity to break from Trudeau’s failed record of complicity with Israel’s illegal occupation and adopt a principled approach that puts human rights and international law first. CJPME's new guide indicates which leadership candidates are most, or least, likely to chart a new path for the party. Unfortunately, while CJPME’s analysis demonstrates a range of opinions between the candidates on the issue of Palestine, none were awarded an excellent grade.
“For years, Chrystia Freeland has used her authority in the Trudeau government to promote closer relationships with Israel while pushing back against legitimate criticism of its human rights abuses. She is the candidate who is the least likely to stand up for the Palestinian people facing genocide,” said Michael Bueckert, Acting President of CJPME.
At the same time, CJPME awarded frontrunner Mark Carney only slightly higher with a “D+.” Even though he does not have the same anti-Palestinian track record as Freeland, his positions are either non-existent or untested and therefore remain a mystery. CJPME believes that his empty record likely indicates that he is not interested in this issue and is more likely to maintain the status quo, while his few statements during the Gaza genocide suggest that he leans in a pro-Israel direction.
CJPME also awarded a D+ to Karina Gould due to her mixed record in the Trudeau government. On the one hand, as Minister of International Development, CJPME recognizes that Gould admirably defended humanitarian aid for Palestinians against Conservative attacks. Simultaneously, however, she has promoted steadfast support for Israel, voted to condemn supporters of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS), and seeks to water down the limited arms embargo on Israel.
On the other hand, Frank Baylis (B-) easily rose to the top of the list as the most likely to champion a human rights-focused approach, and he has made support for Palestinian statehood a key part of his campaign. However, CJPME is disappointed that Baylis has also voted to condemn the BDS movement, and that he is not yet advocating for the concrete measures necessary to uphold human rights, such as sanctions or an arms embargo.
“It is extremely disappointing that, even amid a genocide, the Liberal Party decided that Palestine was hardly worth political debate beyond a single question about statehood. None of the candidates are discussing the real policy tools necessary to uphold human rights and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable, such as an arms embargo,” added Bueckert. “Despite the weakness of the stage-managed debate among leadership contestants, we hope this guide will illuminate the real differences between them on Palestine, so that voters can see where their promises and rhetoric on human rights fall short.”
CJPME is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse or back any specific political party. CJPME has provided similar assessments during the most recent NDP and the Green leadership races and publishes guides during federal elections. CJPME recognizes that Palestine is not the sole concern of LPC members, but hopes that this assessment will help voters make an informed choice when casting their ballots for a new leader. Online voting in the Liberal leadership race closes on March 9, 2025.