Ahead of the April 28 Canadian federal election, over three hundred parliamentary candidates have endorsed a pro-Palestinian platform for a two-way arms embargo against Israel, the recognition of Palestinian statehood, and a boycott of all Israeli settlements in disputed territories, according to the Vote Palestine campaign website, which lists the backing of 20 Liberal Party candidates, 200 New Democratic Party candidates, and 104 Green Party candidates.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green co-leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault were listed as supporters of the platform, with other incumbent parliament members alongside them.
The platform calls for a two-way arms embargo against Israel, demanding that Canadian defense firms be prevented from selling to Israel both directly and through the United States and that Israeli weapons not be purchased by the Canadian military.
The alleged signing of the pledge by Liberal candidates comes after the Parliament passed a non-binding motion last March to cease further transfers of arms to Israel. On April 8, in response to a protester shouting, “There’s a genocide happening in Gaza,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “aware; that’s why we have an arms embargo.” Carney later retracted his acknowledgment of a supposed genocide in Gaza.
The platform calls for Canada to recognize a Palestinian state. Though the drafters of the platform acknowledged that the move would be largely symbolic, they asserted that it would “serve to add diplomatic pressure on Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.”
Call to 'end all engagement with Israeli settlements'
Another principle of the platform was to end all engagement with Israeli settlements, including investment, goods, services, and cultural and academic exchanges. The platform would see the prohibition of owning, selling, or renting properties in the disputed territories by anyone in Canada and the revocation of charitable status for Canadian organizations supporting these towns.
Echoing Carney and Singh’s statements in the Wednesday French-Language party leaders debate, the platform called for the full funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
“By ensuring adequate funding for relief efforts, including UNRWA, Canada would fulfill its responsibility to the international community,” explained the website.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre called for the cutting of financial support to UNRWA at the Wednesday debate, which Singh called “disgusting.”
Recognizing 'anti-Palestinian racism'
Lastly, the platform calls for Canada to adopt an anti-racism strategy that recognizes “anti-Palestinian racism” and to protect the rights of those protesting against Israel. The website asserted that anti-Israel activists had been targeted by police, denounced in Parliament, disciplined by employers, and silenced by universities. The drafters wished to see advocates of the Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions movement protected.
Initiating endorsers of the platform included the Palestinian Youth Movement and Independent Jewish Voices, which have led significant protests against Israel in Canada since the October 7 massacre.
Another primary endorser was the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, which also used the Vote Palestine platform as a credential to endorse candidates under its own MuslimsVote initiative.
Over thirty of the 47 candidates endorsed by the CMPAC had pledged to the Vote Palestine platform, including May. Others were supported due to past positions held in public related to the conflict.
