Since Prime Minister Mark Carney dissolved Parliament and called a snap election, party leaders have focused their campaigns on economic issues, including the U.S. tariff war and tax cuts—but that’s not the only issue on the agenda. Activists and human rights organizations across Canada have formed the Vote Palestine campaign, and are pushing candidates to take a stand on Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has claimed at least 51,000 lives. 

The Vote Palestine campaign launched on March 11 and gained momentum after the writ dropped and the election period began. By April 7, it had drawn the support of over 200 organizations from across the country, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Independent Jewish Voices Canada.

The campaign has also secured endorsements from about 200 candidates. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party co-leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault are the only party leaders who have endorsed the campaign.

For Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), a group which backs the campaign, the objective of bringing all these forces together is clear: “to ensure that Palestine is a key election issue.”

Shift in foreign policy in times of U.S. threats

The Vote Palestine campaign is challenging Canada’s longstanding foreign policy stance—and its organizers argue that, at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is undermining Canadian sovereignty, Canada must rethink its international relations.

“Trump’s tariff policy and threats of annexation require Canada to broaden its alliances and relationships with other world powers and blocs, some of which have a much more sympathetic relationship with the people of Palestine,” says Jeeda Musleh, Apartheid Free Communities BC coordinator, one of the organizations leading the campaign.

Beyond geopolitics, activists say this is a moral imperative. Musleh insists that Canada must realign its foreign policy and stand with nations such as Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Mexico, and Brazil, which have a more sympathetic stance toward the people of Palestine.

Canada, however, has long sided with the United States and Israel. In a 2012 United Nations vote, it rejected Palestine’s bid for recognition. More recently, since October 2023, Canada has abstained from UN General Assembly votes condemning Israel’s attack on Gaza.

The Vote Palestine campaign demands that candidates promise to decisively break from this pattern and support the fundamental rights of Palestinians.

“If Canada wants to be a sovereign moral leader, it should find ways of advancing and advocating for justice in Palestine,” Musleh says. “We have a responsibility to stand against genocide and apartheid, to support the oppressed, and to align our foreign policy with the principles of justice and human rights.”

To achieve this, the campaign has adopted two core strategies. First, organizers urged voters to sign a pledge to back candidates who “stand up for Palestine.” Second, they sent a questionnaire to all election candidates, pressing them to take a stance on five key demands.

These demands are to impose an immediate two-way arms embargo on Israel, end Canadian involvement in illegal Israeli settlements, address anti-Palestinian racism and defend free speech on Palestine, recognize the state of Palestine, and increase funding for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

Corey Balsam, National Coordinator at Independent Jewish Voices Canada, says this campaign is about more than just policy—it is about holding politicians accountable.

“The candidates are supposed to be representative, and this is a core justice issue of our lifetime. We can’t allow the government to remain complicit with [Israel’s war in Gaza], and we expect them to take clear stances,” he says.

Balsam, who helped formulate the demands, emphasizes that they are grounded in Canada’s own domestic and foreign policies—as well as recommendations from the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

One of the most pressing issues, he argues, is ensuring that Canada’s arms embargo is a full two-way embargo. This requires the government not just halt direct and indirect weapons exports to Israel, but also stops the importing Israeli military technology.

“The ban on imports is as important as the ban on exports because Israel uses Gaza as a lab to test its weapons. We know how much Israel benefits from this industry,” Balsam explains.

He also highlights Canada’s financial ties to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which flow through trade agreements and tax-deductible donations.

A report co-authored by Independent Jewish Voices Canada revealed that between 2018 and 2022, over $1 billion in Canadian charitable donations—which are tax-deductible—were sent to recipients in Israel. Balsam says that a portion of those funds ended up in the hands of “some of the most right-wing fascist settler groups in the country.”

Economic gains and global leadership

Campaigners at Vote Palestine also highlight that their five demands could economically benefit Canadians, particularly those struggling with the housing crisis and rising costs of living. They argue that redirecting military funding from Israel to critical areas such as housing, health care, and education will strengthen the Canadian economy.

“This shift can alleviate financial pressures on Canadians and ensure resources are used to build a stronger, fairer society at home. One of our rallying chants, ‘Money for health and education, not for war and occupation,’ encapsulates this potential for positive change,” Musleh says.

Shoufani, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, adds that beyond economic benefits and ethical responsibility, a candidate’s support for Palestinians is a testament to their willingness to stand on the right side of history.

Drawing a parallel with Canada’s dark legacy—from turning away Jewish refugees aboard the MS St. Louis to interning Jewish people as “enemy aliens” during World War II—Shoufani emphasizes the urgent need for “Canada to end its complicity and to leverage its economic ties with Israel to help bring an end to the ongoing genocide.”

“Canada has a long history of aligning with U.S. and European powers on foreign policy,” she says. “But it’s crucial to draw a clear line between the decisions of the Canadian government and the people in Canada who are organizing and demanding justice.”