- Below is a list of Canadian organizations that have endorsed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS), which originated in 2005 as a call from Palestinian civil society. Organizations to endorse BDS include labour unions, political parties, student organizations, faculty associations, churches, social movements, NGOs, and more. Also mentioned are organizations who have not endorsed BDS per se, but nonetheless support imposing economic pressure on Israel in response to human rights violations. If we have missed a BDS vote, please send the relevant information to [email protected].
Last updated: September 19, 2024
- Labour Unions
- Student Unions & Associations
- Faculty and Academic Associations
- Political Parties
- Churches and Religious Organizations
- Social movements, NGOs, and Charitable Organizations
- Partial or Unofficial BDS Support
Labour Unions
-
Ontario branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE-ON) (May 2006), 240,000 members
- Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ-CSN) / Quebec Teachers Union (June 2007), 34,000 members
- Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) / Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses des Postes (STTP) (April 2008), 51,000 members
- Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) / Quebec House of Labour (June 2009), 200,000 members, including:
- Fédération des professionnelles et professionnels de l’éducation du Québec (CSQ)
- Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE)
- Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (CSQ)
- Fédération du personnel de l’enseignement privé (CSQ)
- Fédération des enseignantes et enseignants de cégep (FEC-CSQ)
- Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges (CSQ)
- Fédération du personnel de soutien de l’enseignement supérieur (FPSES)
- Fédération des syndicats de la santé et des services sociaux (CSQ)
- Fédération de la santé du Québec (FSQ)
- Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance du Québec (FIPEQ)
- Association des retraitées et retraités de l’éducation et des autres services publics du Québec (CSQ)
- College and University Workers United (CUWU) (2009)
- Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain de la confédération des syndicats nationaux (CCMM-CSN) (May 2010)
- Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) (2012), 215,000+ members
- Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) / Confederation of National Trade Unions (April 2015), 325,000 members, including:
- CSN-Construction
- Fédération du commerce (FC)
- Fédération des employées et employés de services publics (FEESP)
- Fédération de l’industrie manufacturière (FIM)
- Fédération nationale des communications (FNC)
- Fédération nationale des enseignantes et enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ)
- Fédération des professionèles (FP)
- Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS)
- Syndicat des agents correctionnels du Canada (UCCO–SACC–CSN)
- UNIFOR (August 2017), 350,000 members
-
Centre International De Solidarité Ouvrière (CISO) (October 2021), coalition of more than 60 Québec trade unions and civil society organizations, including:
- Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)
- Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
- Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)
- Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ)
- Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique du secteur public de la santé et des services (APTS)
- Manitoba branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE Manitoba) (May 2023), 37,000 members
- British Columbia branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE BC) (April 2024), 100,000 members
- Nanaimo District Teachers’ Association (NDTA) (June 2024)
- Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) (June 2024), 180,000 members
(Partial or unofficial support for BDS: Canadian Labour Congress, Ontario Federation of Labour, CUPE National. See below).
Student Unions & Associations
- Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ) / Association for Student Union Solidarity (October 2007), 80,000 members
- Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS-O) (August 2014), 300,000+ students
- Canadian Federation of Students / Fédération canadienne des étudiantes et étudiants (CFS-CFEE) (November 2018), 500,000+ students
- Individual Student Unions [Note: Some votes listed below may amount to full BDS motions, while others are more targeted divestment / boycott policies]:
- University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) (February 2012), 14,000 students
- Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) (March 2012), 3,600+ graduate students
- York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA) (November 2012), 6,000+ graduate students
- University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) (December 2012), 15,000+ graduate students
- Concordia University Graduate Students Association (GSA) (January 2013), 7,000+ graduate students
- University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) (February 2013), 12,500+ undergraduate students
- Trent University Central Students Association (TCSA) (February 2013), 6,000 undergraduate and consecutive education students
- York Federation of Students (YFS) (March 2013), 53,000+ undergraduate students
- University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) (April 2013), 11,000 undergraduate students
- University of Windsor Students’ Alliance’s (UWSA) (February 2014), 14,000 undergraduate students
- Ryerson University Students’ Union (RSU) (April 2014), 28,000+ undergraduate and graduate students
- Concordia University Student Union (CSU) (December 2014), 35,000+ undergraduate students
- McMaster University Students Union (MSU) (March 2015), 20,000 undergraduate students
- York University Faculty of Environmental Studies academic boycott (November 2017), 53,000+ students
- King’s University College University of Western (March 2017), 3,500+ full time and part time students
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College (March 2016)
- Dalhousie Student Union (April 2016), 18,500+ students
-
Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) (June 2021), 25,000+ undergraduate students
- SFSS council unanimously passes motion in support of Palestine, including a pledge "to initiate, support, and amplify campaigns in solidarity with Palestinian calls to join the BDS movement against Israeli apartheid."
- University of Toronto Students' Union (UTSU) (February 2022), 38,000+ students
- UTSU passes motion at special general meeting to "wholly divest funds & further on forbid investment to firms complicit in the occupation of Palestinian Territory."
- Concordia Student Union (CSU) (March 2022), 35,000+ undergraduate students
- Referendum passes (86%) to "adopt a position against the practice of apartheid ... and to divest from any investments and withdraw any financial or vocal support from states or businesses that are involved in apartheid"
-
Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)* (March 2022), 24,000+ undergraduate students
- Referendum passes (71.1%) to adopt a "Palestine Solidarity Policy," which among other measures, would commit the SSMU to "boycott corporations and institutions complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians." However, following threats by McGill to terminate its agreement with the SSMU, the student union declined to ratify and adopt the policy.
- Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia Vancouver (AMS) (March 2022), 58,000+ students
- AMS passed a motion to to push UBC to divest from businesses complicit in illegal Israeli settlements and other violations of Palestinian human rights.
-
Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) (April 2022), 25,000+ undergraduate students
- SFSS council unanimously adopts a Palestinian liberation policy, which commits the union to supporting boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel, among other actions, in support of the liberation and self-determination of the Palestinian people.
-
Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) (March 2024), 20,000+ undergraduate students
- DSU council adopts a motion calling on the university to immediately cut ties with and divest from corporations that are complicit in the ongoing genocide of Gaza.
-
Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) (April 2024), 25,000+ undergraduate students
- CUSA council overwhelmingly voted to adopt a divestment policy, urging the university to refrain from investing in companies that are complicit in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
Faculty & Academic Associations
-
Syndicat général des professeures et professeurs de l'Université de Montréal (SGPPUM) (March 2024), 1,400 faculty
-
SGPPUM, the Faculty Association at the University of Montreal, voted in support of "a boycott of Israeli universities complicit in Israeli war crimes, until Israel complies with all its obligations under international law."
-
SGPPUM, the Faculty Association at the University of Montreal, voted in support of "a boycott of Israeli universities complicit in Israeli war crimes, until Israel complies with all its obligations under international law."
-
Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) (April 2024)
-
WUFA voted at their Annual General Meeting to divest "from any companies and investments complicit in Israeli war crimes or illegal occupation," to work towards ending the university's "cooperation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions," and to build ties with Palestinian universities.
-
WUFA voted at their Annual General Meeting to divest "from any companies and investments complicit in Israeli war crimes or illegal occupation," to work towards ending the university's "cooperation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions," and to build ties with Palestinian universities.
-
Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) (April 2024)
- WLUFA voted for a "complete university divestment and boycott of all institutions and corporations complicit in Israeli war crimes [...]," and to support Palestinian academics at risk.
- WLUFA voted for a "complete university divestment and boycott of all institutions and corporations complicit in Israeli war crimes [...]," and to support Palestinian academics at risk.
-
Renison Association of Academic Staff (RAAS) (April 2024), which represents faculty at Renison University College, affiliated with the University of Waterloo.
- RAAS passed a motion calling for the university to "divest and boycott all institutions and corporations (especially academic and educational) complicit in Israeli war crimes, breaches of international war, and all human rights violations in Occupied Palestinian Territories," and to build links with Palestinian academics.
- RAAS passed a motion calling for the university to "divest and boycott all institutions and corporations (especially academic and educational) complicit in Israeli war crimes, breaches of international war, and all human rights violations in Occupied Palestinian Territories," and to build links with Palestinian academics.
-
Emily Carr University Faculty Association (ECUFA) (April 2024)
-
ECUFA passed a motion to "support the international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law [...]."
-
ECUFA passed a motion to "support the international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law [...]."
-
University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association (USFA) (May 2024)
-
USFA voted at the Annual General Meeting to endorse "the global movement for an institutional Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the state of Israel," condemn scholasticide in Gaza, and support Palestinian academics.
-
USFA voted at the Annual General Meeting to endorse "the global movement for an institutional Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the state of Israel," condemn scholasticide in Gaza, and support Palestinian academics.
-
Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association (TFA) (May 2024)
-
TFA voted to "establish a committee to investigate the university’s academic and financial interests linked to the genocide of Palestinians," dedicated to the objectives of divestment and ending cooperation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions.
-
TFA voted to "establish a committee to investigate the university’s academic and financial interests linked to the genocide of Palestinians," dedicated to the objectives of divestment and ending cooperation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions.
-
Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) (May 2024)
- DFA voted at the Annual General Meeting to demand that the university “suspend all institutional partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and divest from and boycott all Israeli institutions until Israel ends its policies of military occupation and apartheid.”
- DFA voted at the Annual General Meeting to demand that the university “suspend all institutional partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and divest from and boycott all Israeli institutions until Israel ends its policies of military occupation and apartheid.”
-
Athabasca University Faculty Association (AUFA) (May 2024)
- AUFA voted in support of reviewing, and then ending, cooperation with Israeli academic institutions, and divesting from companies doing business with the Israeli government.
- AUFA voted in support of reviewing, and then ending, cooperation with Israeli academic institutions, and divesting from companies doing business with the Israeli government.
-
Ontario College of Art and Design Faculty Association (May 2024)
-
OCADFA unanimously passed a motion in support of avoiding investments from companies "benefiting from military action in Palestine or elsewhere," and calling on the university to "disclose investments and to cut ties with all RBC partnerships and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design."
-
OCADFA unanimously passed a motion in support of avoiding investments from companies "benefiting from military action in Palestine or elsewhere," and calling on the university to "disclose investments and to cut ties with all RBC partnerships and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design."
- Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education (ACCLE) (May 2024)
- The ACCLE passed a resolution supporting calls to divest from Israel and to end any partnerships or co-operation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions.
- The ACCLE passed a resolution supporting calls to divest from Israel and to end any partnerships or co-operation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions.
-
Saint Mary's University Faculty Association (May 2024)
- SMUFA issued a statement calling for the "divestment of the University's investments, endowments, pension fund, purchases and other financial holdings from companies linked to genocide, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid in Israel."
- SMUFA issued a statement calling for the "divestment of the University's investments, endowments, pension fund, purchases and other financial holdings from companies linked to genocide, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid in Israel."
-
McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA) (June 2024)
-
MUFA voted to push the university to divest "from companies linked to genocide, human rights violations, occupation, and apartheid in Israel," to and review (to end) McMaster's partnerships with "Israeli academic and cultural institutions complicit in apartheid."
-
MUFA voted to push the university to divest "from companies linked to genocide, human rights violations, occupation, and apartheid in Israel," to and review (to end) McMaster's partnerships with "Israeli academic and cultural institutions complicit in apartheid."
- Simon Fraser University Faculty Association (SFUFA) (June 2024)
- SFUFA adopted two motions in a faculty referendum calling for the university to "suspend all institutional partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and divest from Israeli commercial interests until such time that Israel ends its policies of military occupation and apartheid."
- SFUFA adopted two motions in a faculty referendum calling for the university to "suspend all institutional partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and divest from Israeli commercial interests until such time that Israel ends its policies of military occupation and apartheid."
- Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA) (June 2024)
- Trent faculty voted in a strong majority to call on both the union and the university to cut ties with all institutions and corporations complicit with Israeli human rights violations in Palestine.
- Trent faculty voted in a strong majority to call on both the union and the university to cut ties with all institutions and corporations complicit with Israeli human rights violations in Palestine.
- Memorial University Faculty Association (MUFA) (September 2024)
- MUFA voted to pressure the university to divest from the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid, war crimes and occupation.
- MUFA voted to pressure the university to divest from the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid, war crimes and occupation.
Political Parties
- Québec solidaire (November 2009)
- Communist Party of Canada (July 2014)
(Partial or unofficial support for BDS: Green Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party. See below).
Churches and Religious Organizations
- Mennonite Church of Canada (July 2016)
- United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine/Israel (June 2021)
(Partial or unofficial support for BDS: United Church of Canada and the Canadian Friends Service Committee [Quakers]. See below).
Social movements, NGOs, and Charitable Organizations
- Capital Pride (2024)
- Idle No More (2021)
- Black Lives Matter
- Ligue des Droits et Libertés / Quebec Civil Liberties Union (2010)
- Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ) / Quebec Federation of Women (May 2010)
- Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
- Canadian Friends of Sabeel
- Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) / Voix juives indépendantes (VJI) Canada
- International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Canada
- Artistes pour la Paix (APLP) / Artists for Peace
- Alternatives (Canada) / Alternatives International
-
Health Workers Alliance for Palestine (HAP)
- Faculty for Palestine (F4P)
- Tadamon!
- Centre justice et foi / Revue Relations
- Just Peace Advocates
- Public Interest Research Group (PIRGs)
- Alberta Public Interest Research Group
- Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group
- OPIRG – Carleton
- OPIRG – Guelph
- OPIRG – Peterborough
- OPIRG – Toronto
- OPIRG – Ottawa
- OPIRG – Waterloo
- OPIRG – Windsor
- Groupe de recherche d’intérêt public de l’UQAM (GRIP UQAM)
- Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia (QPIRG Concordia)
- Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill (QPIRG McGill)
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)
- Concordia University
- McGill University
- University of Ottawa
- University of Western Ontario
- Queen’s University
- McMaster University
- University of British Columbia
- University of Calgary
- Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Ryerson University
- Students for Palestinian Rights (SFPR), Waterloo University
- Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA)
- Carleton University
- University of Toronto
- University of Toronto at Mississauga
- York University
- Palestinian Solidarity Group (PSG), University of Windsor
- General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), OttawaUniversity
- Coalition pour la Justice en Palestine-UQAM
- Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign (BIAC) – Vancouver
- Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (WCAIA)
- Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) – Toronto
- Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) – Victoria
- Victoria Friends of Cuba (VFoC)
- Justice for Palestinians – Calgary
- Coalition BDS - Québec
- Canada-Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet)
- Palestinian and Jewish Unity / Palestiniens et Juifs Unis (PAJU)
- Canada Palestine Association
- Canadians, Arabs and Jews for a Just Peace (CAJJP)
- CODEPINK
- Canada-Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet)
- Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (WCAIA)
- Global Compliance Research Project (GCRP)
- Nelson End the Occupation Now (NEON)
- National Campus and Community Radio Association of Canada (NCRA)
- Mid-Islanders for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (MIJPME)
- Socialist Action / Ligue pour l'Action Socialiste (SA/LAS)
- Youth for Socialist Action / Jeunesse pour l'Action Socialiste (YSA/JAS)
- Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA)
- Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)
- AQOCI (Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale)
- Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU)
- Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU)
- Entraide missionnaire
- Comité de solidarité Trois-Rivières
- Réseau uni pour la justice et la paix en Palestine et en Israël
- Forum musulman canadien
- Présence musulmane
- Perspectives palestiniennes
- Regroupement des Algériens et Algériennes du Québec
- Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation (BCFF)
- Greater Toronto for BDS
Partial or Unofficial BDS Support
The following organizations have not endorsed the precise terms of BDS per se, but nonetheless advocate some form of economic action to pressure Israel to respect international law and the human rights of Palestinians.
- United Church of Canada, 2012, 2015, 2024
In August 2012, the United Church adopted a policy at its 41st General Council urging the boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements. In 2015, a policy was adopted by the 42nd General Council in support of divestment from companies that are involved in the Israeli occupation. In 2024, the United Church leaders sent a letter urging Canada to suspend relations with the State of Israel until it has complied with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
- Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers), 2014
In 2014, the CFSC added an addendum to their 2009 policy on Israel and Palestine which: 1) encouraged the promotion of BDS among members, 2) asked the Federal government to properly label products from the “settlements,” and 3) encouraged members, individually and corporately, to boycott products from Israel’s “settlements.”
- Green Party of Canada, 2016
In August 2016, the membership of the Green Party overwhelmingly adopted a resolution which endorsed BDS. However, the party leadership sought to overturn this decision and distance themselves from BDS. A few months later, the party repealed the earlier resolution and replaced it with a 'compromise' policy which, nonetheless, effectively endorsed the goals and tactics of the BDS movement; for example, the motion endorsed economic measures including boycotts and divestment, and called for a ban on settlement goods, among other measures.
- New Democratic Party, 2021, 2024
In April 2021, the NDP adopted a policy in support of ending trade with illegal Israeli settlements and imposing an arms embargo on Israel. In March 2024, the NDP brought to Parliament an Opposition Day Motion calling to "suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel," "ban extremist settlers from Canada," and "impose sanctions on Israeli officials who incite genocide," among other measures.
- Canadian Labour Congress, 2021
In June 2021 the Canadian Labour Congress, representing more than 3 million workers in Canada, adopted a policy in support of a ban on settlement goods, promoting divestment from Israeli military and security companies, and calling on Canada to halt arms sales to Israel, among other measures.
- Ontario Federation of Labour, 2022
In June 2022 the Ontario Federation of Labour published a statement on international solidarity, which notes that it passed resolutions in support of a ban on settlement goods, divestment from Israeli military companies, and calling on Canada to halt arms sales to Israel, among other measures.
- Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE National), 2024
In January 2024 the Canadian Union of Public Employees published a statement calling on Canada to impose an arms embargo on Israel.