| La version française suit…Dear Friend,This time last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau surprised us all by voting “Yes” on a UN resolution to support Palestinian self-determination. It is very important that we keep this “win,” and that Canada repeat this vote again this year. Join CJPME and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) in calling on Trudeau to vote in support of Palestinian self-determination, as well as more than a dozen other resolutions on Palestinian human rights. Click here to send an email to the Prime Minister, Canada’s UN Ambassador (Bob Rae), other federal political leaders, and your local MP. Please share this campaign:Click here to share on Facebook.Click here to share to Twitter.Send an email to your friendsMore InfoEvery year, there are 16 resolutions related to Israel and Palestine that are voted on by the UN General Assembly. These include resolutions that condemn Israel’s settlements, call for a peaceful settlement, extend aid to Palestinian refugees, and extend the mandate of committees that investigate Israel’s violations of human rights.In 2019, Canada voted “Yes” on a standing resolution in support of Palestinian self-determination. This came as a surprise to everyone, because it broke with Canada’s recent pattern of voting “No” or abstaining on every Israel-related motion. This one vote aligned Canada with the international majority (163 other countries), whereas its other “No” votes were joined by only a handful of other countries, including Israel, the United States, and some tiny island nations.At the time, CJPME and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations wrote to thank the government for this “lone vote” for self-determination and expressed hope that it might be the beginning of a more balanced approach. However, pro-Israel groups condemned the vote and have been putting immense pressure on Trudeau NOT to repeat it. And some people believe that Canada’s voted this way to curry favour with pro-human rights nations in advance of its bid for a UN Security Council seat.Last year’s “lone vote” for Palestine harkens back to a time only a decade ago when Canada used to have a far more balanced voting record at the UN. In 2003, for example, the Chrétien government voted “Yes” on 12 resolutions and did not vote “No” on any. For whatever reason, Trudeau has mostly decided to maintain Harper’s radical pro-Israel voting pattern. To make sense of these changes over time, CJPME has created a new resource, the UN Dashboard, where you can explore how Canada has voted on these resolutions from 2000-2020.The CJPME Team Tom, Michael, Khaoula and the rest of the team. Email CJPME – CJPME Website |
