The Central Canadian Union, representing approximately three million workers across the country, announced after a landmark vote on Thursday its intention to 'refuse to handle weapons and military equipment intended for Israel.'
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) stated in its release that it supports this decision 'in solidarity with Palestinian workers and their families, as well as all who call for peace, justice, and adherence to international law.'
It demanded that the Canadian government take similar steps and 'cease all direct and indirect supplies of weapons and military equipment to Israel.'
Current Situation
Last year, Middle East Eye reported that the Canadian government had misled the public by claiming it had suspended all new export permits for weapons to Israel. However, commercial data showed that supplies not only continued but were actually accelerating, sometimes routed through indirect channels, such as the United States, according to calculations compiled by the volunteer team of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and the groups World Beyond War and Arms Embargo.
These groups noted that the government in Ottawa was attempting to appease voters who expressed growing dissatisfaction with how the Liberal Party was responding to the war in Gaza, without changing its policy of unconditional support for Israel that it had publicly promised.
A 58-page document titled 'Exposing Canadian Military Exports to Israel' mentions over 390 shipments from 21 Canadian manufacturers in six cities. These shipments included more than 420,000 bullets, 735 rifle ammunition parts (firearm ammunition kits), F-35 fighter jet components such as navigation sensors and radar systems, as well as dual-use goods like GPS antennas.
The CLC emphasized: 'Canada has a responsibility to ensure that weapons and military equipment produced here are not used to harm Palestinian civilians or contribute to violations of international humanitarian law.' It added: 'Canada must uphold international law, protect civilian lives, and support a just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.' The union also stated that 'the labor movement has always advocated for the rights, safety, and dignity of workers everywhere. We reject all forms of hatred and discrimination, including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia.'
From Apartheid in South Africa to Gaza
The CLC has long-standing ties with the Israeli trade union known as Histadrut. These relations began to slowly weaken after the First Intifada, as shown by a 2014 study in the Journal of Labor and Society. In May of this year, the CLC voted to sever ties with Histadrut, although debates over a resolution recognizing all Israeli goods, services, and institutional relations as 'hot potato' were blocked.
The group Labour for Palestine - Canada, which is at the forefront of the movement to ban the handling of military supplies to Israel, stated that Canadian workers 'helped end apartheid in South Africa.' This group also mentioned its support for the liberation of East Timor and opposition to the war in Iraq, stating that 'now is the time to take a stand in support of Palestine.'
The advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East welcomed the vote held on Thursday in an X post, calling it 'an important way workers can prevent Canadian weapons from contributing to genocide.'
The activist group Independent Jewish Voices stated that this step is a 'clear message,' noting that 'Canadian workers refuse to participate in the genocide of Israel in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.'
The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, reported that over $44 million in 'military goods' were exported to Israel between 2023 and 2025.
