Canada’s pro-Israel voting record at the UN contradicts its own values and interests and harms its international reputation, according to documents released via Access to Information legislation. The released documents cover the period leading up to Canada’s 2019 decision to resume its support for Palestinian self-determination at the UN. In this report, CJPME looks at how Canadian officials really view Canada's UN voting record, and urges Canada to support all resolutions which aim to uphold Palestinian human rights.

Issued September 7, 2022

CJPME Factsheet No. 220, published September, 2020: This factsheet provides an overview of the UAE-Israel normalization agreement. Is this really a "peace deal," and is Canada right to welcome it ?

Montreal, November 17, 2017 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges the Liberal government to make important amendments to bill C-47, an arms control bill currently before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  Bill C-47 is a bill intended to enable Canada to accede to the international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), but is highly flawed in its original draft.  Late last week, Foreign Affairs Committee chair Bob Nault suggested that the government may allow amendments to the bill, and CJPME strong urges it to do so.  

Montreal, August 2, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Middle East positions of each of the candidates for the NDP leadership race, with Niki Ashton receiving the best score with an A+ rating. Jagmeet Singh was next with an A-, followed by Guy Caron at B+, and Charlie Angus with a B.  In developing this analysis, CJPME used the candidates' responses to a questionnaire issued by CJPME and Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) as well as  quotes and references in the media, comments the NDP leadership debates, comments from parliamentary debate, press statements, the candidates' campaign Websites, and more. 

This position paper discusses how Canada could incite justice in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. 

The international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons. 130 of 193 UN member states have already signed it. This position paper explains why Canada should also sign it. Even more, this paper lays recommendations on how to handle the situation in Egypt and other high authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.

The following document outlines a high-level strategy for Canada in the Middle East for the coming months.  Underlying this strategy is the conviction that Canada should apply basic principles of decency and humanity in its interactions with other countries.  These principles include: 1) support for international law; 2) an equal legal standard for all; 3) a belief that violence doesn’t lead to solutions; 4) humanitarian concern; 5) support for representative governance; and 6) a sense of urgency in responding to crises.  There is also the underlying assumption in this document that Canada is a wealthy and privileged nation, and that Canada has a responsibility to contribute constructively (and financially) to humanitarian, political and diplomatic crises in the Middle East.  

Montreal, August 3, 2015  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on Canadian political parties to prioritize Middle East policy during the upcoming election campaign.  Especially over the past few years, the Middle East has become extremely dynamic and marred by conflict, and Canada’s interaction with the region will have repercussions for years to come. CJPME calls for Canadian politicians to take a step back, rethink our approach to the Middle East, and share their ideas with Canadians.

CJPME Factsheet 189, published October, 2014: This factsheet summarizes Canada’s military trade with countries in the Middle East, from the massive $15 billion deal signed with Saudi Arabia in 2013, to smaller earlier deals with other various countries.  This factsheet also explores the ethical questions related to Canada’s role as a supplier of military equipment in a volatile region.

Montreal, October 3, 2014  — CJPME urges Canadian MPs to remember that there are principled and more effective alternatives to putting “boots on the ground” in Iraq. CJPME believes that recent history has demonstrated that Western military action – without a significant and sustained humanitarian commitment – provides little or no long-term benefit.