The following is a joint letter which was sent to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on January 6, 2021. The statement commends NDP MPs Charlie Angus and Leah Gazan for their statements criticizing Israel's discriminatory vaccine program and standing up for Palestinian human rights. It further requests that Singh adds his voice and stands against Israel's racist administration of vaccines. For CJPME's previous statement on this matter, click here.  Continue reading

Montreal, January 5, 2021  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns the grossly unfair attacks against Members of Parliament Charlie Angus and Leah Gazan for sharing principled and factual criticism about Israel’s discriminatory COVID-19 vaccination program. Both NDP MPs are facing false accusations of antisemitism after they shared an article from the UK newspaper The Guardian, which was titled “Palestinians excluded from Israeli Covid vaccine rollout as jabs go to settlers.” Continue reading

Montreal, December 23, 2020  — As the United Nations General Assembly draws to a close, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) notes with regret that Canada has continued to marginalize itself by repeatedly voting with a tiny minority of UN member states against Palestinian human rights. Out of the 12 resolutions about Palestinian human rights that have come to a vote this year, Canada has voted against 10 of them, and abstained on another. Continue reading

Montreal, December 21, 2020  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes today’s announcement by the Canadian government that it will be renewing its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency that provides services to 5.7 million Palestine refugees. However, CJPME notes that Canada’s assistance falls far short of what is needed, considering the scale of the challenges facing Palestinian refugees today. Continue reading

Montreal, December 7, 2020  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) are urging the Canadian government to vote in support of an upcoming resolution on the status of Jerusalem at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The resolution rejects Israel’s unilateral annexation of Jerusalem, and calls for the concerns of both Palestinians and Israelis to be considered when negotiating the final status of Jerusalem. The resolution is expected to be considered by the plenary later this week, alongside the final votes on a series of related annual resolutions. Continue reading

Copied below is a letter from CJPME to Stephen Lecce, Ontario's Minister of Education, on December 3, 2020. In the letter, CJPME criticizes the Minister's decision to ban a video blog from Ontario schools due to its Palestinian perspective, which the Minister falsely characterized as "anti-Israel and antisemitic."  CJPME warns that this amounts to the censorship of Palestinian voices and experiences. Click here to read a PDF version of the letter.  Continue reading

Montreal, December 2, 2020  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is highly critical of the resumption of Canada’s anti-Palestinian voting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). At today’s plenary session on the “Question of Palestine,” Canada voted against four resolutions in support of Palestinian human rights, all of which were overwhelmingly approved by the rest of the international community. Like many Canadians, CJPME had hoped that Canada’s vote in support of Palestinian self-determination two weeks ago would be followed by other votes reaffirming Palestinian rights and aspirations. Continue reading

To the Right Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, The following letter is sent to you on behalf of the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (hereinafter referred to as the “Coalition”) in response to the government’s recent decision to appoint a Special Envoy designated to preserve Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism through the implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (hereinafter referred to as “IHRA”) working definition of antisemitism. We are deeply concerned with the government’s recent decision regarding the advancement of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism through the Special Envoy and wish to outline the repercussions that this may have on Canadian Palestinians. Continue reading

Montreal, November 24, 2020  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) are urging the Canadian government to take action in response to the crisis facing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency responsible for 5.7 million Palestinians refugees. CJPME and the CCPO are calling on Canada to renew and increase its annual support for UNRWA, provide the agency with emergency financial assistance, and to vote in support of Palestinian refugees at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Continue reading

Montreal, November 19, 2020  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds Canada’s decision to once again vote in support of Palestinian self-determination at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The resolution was overwhelmingly adopted 163-5 at the UN’s Third Committee and will now go to the UNGA plenary for a final vote. Earlier this month, CJPME and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations had urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to repeat his vote, and more than 3,000 Canadians wrote to the government to stand up for Palestine at the UNGA. Continue reading