CJLC Statement

Today, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canada’s largest labour organization, brought shame to our labour movement by voting to sever ties with Histadrut, Israel’s largest labour organization.

The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee strongly condemns this as a disgraceful act of discrimination, ideological extremism, and a betrayal of the solidarity the labour movement claims to defend. This decision singles out the world’s only Jewish state while ignoring regimes that genuinely crush unions and persecute minorities, allowing a radical faction to hijack the Canadian labour agenda with obsessive anti-Israel activism rather than focusing on the needs of Canadian workers.

By targeting Histadrut—a diverse organization representing Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze workers—the CLC has chosen division and hypocrisy over dialogue, failing to support, and instead isolating, a democratic labor partner with a long history of collective bargaining and cooperation with Palestinian unions.

This is a sad day for Canadian labour and a betrayal of the principles of solidarity and equality it claims to defend.  Ending a relationship with Histadrut is not about peace or workers’ rights. It is political extremism masquerading as social justice. If Canadian labour truly cared about influence or dialogue, it would engage with Israeli trade unionists, not isolate them.

The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee asserts that this move demonstrates a profound, one-sided bias that imports polarization into Canadian public life, and we vow that Canadian Jewish trade unionists will not be silenced, excluded, or intimidated in their fight against this growing culture of ideological intolerance within organizations across Canada.  At a time when we need bridge building, the CLC has chosen discrimination, polarization, exclusions and ideological hate.