Canada's central labour union says workers will not handle military cargo going to Israel

The Canadian Labour Congress says it voted for 'solidarity with Palestinian workers and their families' Shipping containers are seen in the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, on 23 August 2026 (Andrej Ivanov/AFP) Published date: 30 October 2026 20:30 GMT | Last update: 7 sec ago After a landmark vote on Thursday, Canada's central labour union, representing some 3 million workers across the country, has announced that it will "refuse to handle weapons and military equipment destined for Israel". The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) said in a statement that it supported the resolution "in solidarity with Palestinian workers and their families, and with all those calling for peace, justice and respect for international law". It demanded the government of Canada do the same and "end all direct and indirect transfers of arms and military equipment to Israel". Last year, Middle East Eye reported that the Canadian government misled the public when it said it was pausing all new weapons export permits to Israel. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Commercially available data showed shipments not only continued but were actually fast-tracked - and sometimes via indirect routes such as through the United States, according to findings compiled by an all-volunteer team from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and the groups World Beyond War and Arms Embargo Now. Ottawa, the groups said, wanted to placate an electorate that has expressed growing dissatisfaction with how the Liberal Party has responded to Israel's war on Gaza - but without actually reversing its policy of unconditional support for Israel, as it publicly pledged. Property sales of illegal Israeli settlement lands challenged in complaint in Canada Read More » The 58-page document, entitled "Exposing Canadian Military Exports to Israel", cites more than 390 shipments from 21 Canadian manufacturers in six cities that included more than 420,000 bullets, 735 cartridge parts (ammunition sets for firearms), F-35 jet parts, such as navigation sensors, radar systems and dual-use items like GPS antennas. "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," the CLC said in its statement. "Canada must uphold international law, protect civilian lives and support a just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis," it added. "The labour movement has always stood for the rights, safety and dignity of working people everywhere. We reject all forms of hatred and discrimination, including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia." From Apartheid South Africa to Gaza The CLC has decades-long ties with the Israeli trade union, known as the Histradut. Those ties slowly began to fray after the First Intifada, a 2014 study in the Journal of Labor and Society showed. In May of this year, the CLC voted to cut ties with the Histadrut, though debate was blocked on a resolution to declare all Israeli goods, services and institutional relationships "Hot Cargo". Labour for Palestine - Canada, which has been at the forefront of the movement to ban the handling of military shipments to Israel, said Canadian workers "helped end apartheid in South Africa". "We supported East Timorese liberation. We took a stand against war in Iraq. Now is the time to take a stand for Palestine," the group said. The advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East hailed Thursday's vote in a post on X, calling it "an important way that workers can prevent Canadian weapons from facilitating genocide". The activist group Independent Jewish Voices said the move "is a clear message". "Canadian labourers refuse to be complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank." Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, said it has exported more than $44m in "military goods" to Israel between 2023 and 2025. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.