Montreal, June 14, 2023 — A new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on the Canadian government to take immediate action to uphold the rights of Palestinian children in Israel’s military court system. Titled "Heartbreaking Disparity: Child Detainees in Canada vs. Israel," the report compares the treatment of Palestinian child detainees in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to both Jewish settler detainees that live in the same territory as well as child detainees in Canada. In doing so, the report exposes the disparity in the way that Palestinian children are treated, as part of Israel’s system of apartheid and state-sponsored violence against Palestinian children.

Montreal, May 11, 2023 — On the one-year anniversary of the killing of veteran Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is demanding that the Canadian government hold Israeli officials accountable for her death. Unfortunately, Canada has abandoned its initial calls for accountability and for an investigation into her death, despite overwhelming evidence indicating that Abu Akleh was deliberately killed by Israeli forces while visible as a member of the press. CJPME urges Canada to renew its call for accountability now that Israeli forces are unquestionably responsible for this crime, and to put its support behind an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Montreal, March 1, 2023 — Earlier today, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) sent an urgent letter to Canada’s Senate Speaker George Furey and Senators Plett and Laboucane-Benson raising troubling human rights concerns over their recent delegation to Israel. For several days this week, the Senators met with far-right Israeli lawmakers and other Israeli institutions to discuss strengthening Canada’s bilateral relationship with the country. CJPME warned the Senators that their visit is problematic in the context of Israel’s far-right government, escalating Israeli violence against Palestinians, its actions to annex the West Bank, and the growing recognition that Israel’s practices amount to the crime of apartheid under international law.

February 22, 2016: Parliament votes to condemn Canadians who boycott Israel 

“We join our voices together to express our deep concern about the Opposition motion that condemns the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. We are strongly committed to democratic rights and freedoms for all Canadians […] Any attempt to criminalize, condemn, intimidate or silence peaceful and nonviolent actions of individuals and groups that support or sympathize with the BDS movement, should be rejected.” – Joint statement from Canadian civil society groups 

On this day in 2016, Canada’s parliament unfairly targeted Canadians who stand up for Palestinian rights by voting (229-51) to condemn the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its supporters. BDS is a non-violent movement launched by Palestinian civil society organizations in 2005 to put pressure on the Israeli government to end its human rights violations. Canadian civil society organizations including the United Church of Canada, the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) and the Canadian Labour Congress strongly criticized the motion, saying that “any attempt to criminalize, condemn, intimidate or silence peaceful and nonviolent actions of individuals and groups that support or sympathize with the BDS movement, should be rejected.”

The heavy-handed motion was introduced by the Opposition Conservative Party and called for the House of Commons to reject the BDS movement for allegedly promoting the “demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.” The motion also called for the Canadian government to “condemn any and all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups or individuals to promote the BDS movement, both here at home and abroad.” The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) warned that the government’s “vague” condemnation “chills public discussion both of the BDS movement and the Israeli State more broadly.”

In total, 229 Members of Parliament voted in favour of condemning the BDS movement while only 51 opposed it. While the Conservatives and most Liberals voted for the motion, MPs from the New Democrats (NDP) and Bloc Quebecois (BQ) voted against it. While few MPs defended BDS in itself, many cited the importance of free expression and the right to boycott. NDP MP Charlie Angus argued that whether MPs agree with BDS or not, “it is the role of parliamentarians to stand up for individual rights,” adding that he is “shocked” that members would vote to “condemn individuals for their right to dissent.”

Many observers noted that even though the motion did not outlaw or criminalize the BDS movement, it had the potential to create a “chilling effect” for Canadian groups seeking to speak out against the violations of Palestinian human rights under Israeli oppression, constituting an infringement of their freedom of speech. Yet, on the very same day of the vote, McGill University’s Student Society voted to adopt BDS, demonstrating that support for the BDS movement continues to grow in Canada and beyond. Over the years, organizations representing millions of Canadians have endorsed the BDS movement, including CUPE-Ontario, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Canadian Federation of Students, Mennonite Church Canada, Black Lives Matter, Idle No More, and dozens of labour and student unions.

Read More:

House of Commons Canada Motion and Vote No. 14 

Canada ‘condemns’ Israel boycott – Middle East Eye

Canada jumps on the anti-BDS bandwagon – Al Jazeera

Parliament votes to reject Israel boycott campaign – The Globe and Mail

Canadian groups call on the government to uphold the right to dissent – International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group

On the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the narrowing of acceptable speech – British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

CJPME resources: 

Who supports BDS in Canada? – CJPME BDS Hub

BDS: Informing the Parliamentary debate – CJPME Factsheet

CJPME President waits to be condemned by Trudeau government – CJPME Press Release

BDS group targeted with threats, hate after parliamentary motion – CJPME Press Release

Montreal, December 5, 2022 - CJPME sent a letter to Saint John City Councillors, to express gratitude to the City of Sain John for raising the Palestinian flag on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Read the full letter below, or click here to download a PDF version.

Montreal, November 7, 2022 — Last week in Ramallah, in a meeting with Canada’s mission to the Palestinian Authority, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) drew urgent attention to the issue of Israel’s violent repression of Palestinian human rights organizations. 

CJPME is a member of the CAF out of Calgary campaign, which is advocating against the city of Calgary's contract with CAF to expand Calgary's light rail system. CAF is unethically involved in a $2.5 billion CDN contract to expand the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) network – a system that further entrenches Israel's brutal apartheid treatment of Palestinians.

Montreal, September 30th, 2022 - Below is a letter from CJPME to Jayda G dated September 26, 2022, urging her to respect the cultural boycott of apartheid Israel and withdraw from her scheduled participation in the DGTL festival in Tel Aviv. Click here for full PDF. 

Montreal, August 23, 2022 — CJPME joins over 190 organizations in demanding the international community to stand against Israel's militarized raids and forced closures of 7 Palestinian organizations. Read the joint statement below.

CJPME Factsheet No. 230, published August 2022: This factsheet explores the history and consequences of Israel's blockade on Gaza. It looks at the restrictions on the movement of people and trade, and considers whether the blockade is legal under international law.