We, the undersigned, residing in so-called Canada, urge Canadian political leaders to end their complicity in the ongoing massacres and genocide in Gaza, Occupied Palestine. The letter, demanding accountability and action from political leaders, is as follows:
Dear Members of Parliament,
You have called on Canada to urge for an “immediate ceasefire” in the face of unimaginable devastation. Yet, all Canadian political parties dehumanize Palestinians, facilitating Israeli-led genocide against them. If you truly value Palestinian life and international law, we thus call on you to resign now. Consider the recent resignation of 23 Labour councillors in the UK in response to Starmer's support for collective punishment: “In a choice between serving our parties or justice, we have chosen justice”.
All of you are complicit in Israel’s killing of over 5000 Palestinians in Gaza thus far. The Liberal government argued “with a high degree of confidence that Israel did not strike the [Al Ahli] hospital”, even after the Anglican Church that owns the hospital and Doctors Without Borders concluded otherwise. Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh repeated the unverified accusation that Palestinians were guilty of sexual violence, refused to end his party’s deal with the Liberals, and revoked the passes of four delegates who joined a pro-Palestine rally at the NDP Convention.
Instead of obfuscating reality, your letter should have begun by condemning Israeli apartheid and occupation. Furthermore, by failing to recognize Israeli occupation as “terrorist” and only directing this term at Palestinian resistance, you perpetuate an Islamophobic trope. Your language is fuelling the collective trauma being experienced by your constituents, and inciting hate crimes against Palestinians and Muslims. Hence, it is unsurprising that Justin Trudeau did not receive a warm welcome from the Muslim community last week. Whether you identify as Muslim or not, you should also expect to be shunned for your complicity moving forward.
We implore you to stand in genuine solidarity with the Indigenous communities of Turtle Island and Palestine who continue to resist against settler colonial genocide. As outlined by Dr. Rinaldo Walcott after the Ontario NDP expelled MPP Sarah Jama for supporting Palestine: "Jama's predicament exposes the bankrupt situational morality of Canadian politics in a settler-colonial country that can only but support white settler politics elsewhere as the condition of its own existence".
In addition to demanding an immediate ceasefire, the urgent restoration of human necessities including water, and the opening of humanitarian corridors and crossings for medical purposes, we urge you to call on Israel to free all Palestinian prisoners, lift its siege on Gaza, and end its illegal occupation. You must contribute to sensible political and social discourse as elected officials. We urge you to stand on the right side of history where you will be redeemed: Resign with integrity and dignity.
Until true justice and freedom,
[The Undersigned]
POLITICIANS
- Sarah Jama, Member of Provincial Parliament (Hamilton
Centre, Ontario)
- Susan Kim, City Councilor (Victoria, BC)
ORGANIZATIONS
- Alberta Union of Public Employees (Local 54, Chapter 001)
- Black Lives Matter Sudbury
- Briarpatch Magazine
- Buycott Palestine
- Canada Palestine Association - Vancouver
- Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR)
- Centre sur l'asie du sud (CERAS)
- Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid - Victoria BC
- Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals (CAMP)
- Democratic Socialists of Canada
- Earth Education League
- Femmes de diverses origines/Women of Diverse Origins
- Greater Toronto for BDS (GT4BDS)
- Humans Without Borders
- Indigenous Solidarity Working Group (Canadian Union of Public
Eemplyees, Local 3906)
- International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)-Canada
- Jews Against White Supremacy
- Just Peace Advocates
- Kashmir Gulposh
- McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alliance (MISCA)
- World BEYOND War, Montreal Chapter
- Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
- Prairie Sage Protectors
- Pride Centre of Edmonton
- Projet Accompagnement Solidarité Colombie (PASC)
- Queer Muslim Network Toronto
- Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), McMaster
University
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Concordia
University
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), McGill
University
- South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC)
- Students for Justice in Palestine, Toronto Metropolitan
University
- Students for Queer Liberation Toronto
- The Canada Files
- The Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective
- Toronto4Palestine
- University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre
- Vancouver Workers Assembly
- Women in Solidarity with Palestine (WSP)-Toronto
- Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty (B.C. Food
Systems Network)
RESEARCH COMMUNITY- Ghada Ageel, Professor (University
of Alberta)
- Nadia Al-Dajani, Assistant
Professor (University of Louisville)
- Dia Da Costa, Professor (University
of Alberta)
- Luis Manuel Garcia-Mispireta,
Associate Professor (University of Birmingham)
- Zahira Ibrahim, Lecturer (Alexandria
University)
- Jalal Kawash, Professor (University
of Calgary)
- Zahir Kolia, Assistant Professor (Toronto
Metropolitan University)
- Kevin MacKay, Professor (Mohawk
College)
- Randi Nixon, Lecturer (University of
Alberta)
- Shaista Patel, Assistant Professor
(University of California, San Diego)
- Jake Pyne, Assistant Professor (York
University)
- Alina Sajed, Associate
Professor (McMaster University)
- Kerry Sinanan, Assistant Professor
(University of Texas, San Antonio)
- Rinaldo Walcott, Professor, Carl V.
Granger Chair in Africana and American Studies (University of Buffalo)
- Niyousha Bastani, Postdoctoral
Researcher (University of Toronto)
- Ali Mokdad, Postdoctoral Researcher
(University of Windsor)
- sasha skaidra, Postdoctoral
Researcher (University of Alberta)
- Haley Vecchiarelli, Postdoctoral Researcher
(University of Victoria)
CIVIL SOCIETY
- Nafiaa Alokla, Syrian Canadian Integration Centre
- Husan Bano, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
- Ali Berkok, Musician and Composer
- Sarah Bayliss, Family Violence Researcher
- Elizabeth Block, Member, Independent Jewish Voices
- Matteo L. Cerilli, Author
- Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, Executive Director of Indigenous
Climate Action
- Ghadir Elghafri, Palestinian-Canadian Poet from Gaza,
founder of Toronto Poetry Club
- Sadaf Iqbal, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
- Sobia Islam, ICNA Sisters (Islamic Circle of North America)
- Aidan Jonah, Editor-in-Chief of The Canada Files
- Jessica Johns, Writer
- Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator, Samidoun
Network
- Ayesha Khan, Alberta Health Services
- Samantha Knill, Healthcare Researcher
- Tatiana McCallum, Socialist Fightback
- Miriam Meir, Human Rights Activist
- Nazanin Moghadami, Clinical Counsellor, Activist, Community Organizer
- Urooj Nizami, Librarian, Public Knowledge Project
- Sajeth Paskaran, Ontario Public Interest Research Group,
York University Board Member
- Samantha Peason, Director of University of Alberta Sexual
Assault Centre
- Miriam Puttick, Human Rights Advocate
- Lubna Rehan, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
- Fayeza Rehman, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
- Michelle Robinson, Native Calgarian Podcast
- Cat Schick, Founder of Settlers’ Book Club
- Janine Solanki, Executive Committee Member of Mobilization
Against War and Occupation (MAWO)
- Sumayya Soofi, ICNA Sisters (Islamic Circle of North
America)
- Nus Rat Wahid, ICNA Sisters (Islamic Circle of North
America)
- Terry Wolfwood, Director of Barnard-Boecker Centre
Foundation
