Canadian Jewish Labour Committee (CJLC) Newsletter | July 2025

Freedom of Expression in Canada

“We and our fellow union members have a right to a workplace and union space that is free of antisemitism as WE define it, because that is how WE EXPERIENCE IT”.  – Jackie L., union member

Our freedom of expression cannot infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.  We may not harm public safety.  Simply put, with rights come responsibilities.  We often announce entitlement to our rights here in Canada.  The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures equality under the law, including freedom of expression, assembly and religion. 

In Canada, we don’t have the “right to free speech”.  We have the right to freedom of expression – the right to hold our own opinions and to express them how we would like, including on social media.  What gets ignored is the responsibility for us to account for the words we choose to utter.  There are limits to freedom of expression including hate speech. Laws prohibit the expression of hate speech that incites violence or discrimination.

When there is a call for “intifada” or an inverted red triangle, the line between freedom of expression and hate speech fades drastically. 

When Jewish businesses in Toronto were being protested and were subject to vandalism, we heard the Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU) President defend those actions by declaring to attendees at an Ontario Federation of Labour Conference that “it was just a little red paint”.

What if that “red paint” was thrown at an Indigenous Band Office or a a Pride float?  Would those actions still be dismissed as some “red paint?”   Not a chance, and rightly so. That is not protest, that is criminal activity.  But for some reason, the threshold is different if the target is Jewish.

No one should ever experience a “red paint” event.  We can use our voices to condemn the Israeli government if we choose.  But throwing red paint did not impact the government of Israel and it didn’t “Free Palestine”.  A community business was vandalized and targeted.  Employees were tasked with cleaning up the vandalism. Those employees may have been union members.  That is not activism.  Nor is it peaceful protest. 

Freedom of expression is a right - but when it targets, intimidates, or harms others, especially fellow union members, it becomes a betrayal of the very principles our labour movement is built upon.

When Words Attack

Submitted by a 2024 Fierté Montréal Pride Participant

Pride is supposed to be about inclusion. Yet as a proud gay Canadian Jew in a post-October 7 world, pride season has me once again feeling excluded.

Having to march in last year’s Fierté Montréal Pride parade surrounded by armed police officers and private security is not inclusion. Having to mentally block out the stares from onlookers in keffiyehs laser targeted on my Star of David necklace is not inclusion.

We were being targeted, and the words hurled at us mattered. Armed security was assigned to protect us from Jew hatred and physical threats. We were marching in our hometown, in a parade we had marched in every year for over a decade, but we were being verbally attacked by our fellow Canadians because we were Jewish.

Pride celebrations across Canada have been commandeered by protesters who hijacked our celebrations to advance an antisemitic agenda. Their blockading of parades deprived hundreds of community groups of their main annual opportunity to engage the public. Their aggressive tactics resulted in Canada’s first openly gay Lieutenant Governor withdrawing support for her local pride celebrations. That is not inclusion.

Take action: @queersagainstantisemitism

Reflections on the 2025 CUPE Ontario Convention

Submitted by a CUPE Ontario Convention Delegate

The annual CUPE Ontario Convention took place from May 28–31, 2025, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto. While intended to be a space for solidarity and collective action on behalf of workers across the province, many attendees — particularly Jewish members — left feeling disappointed and concerned.

What should have been a forum for advancing labour priorities was, once again, overshadowed by divisive geopolitical rhetoric. Delegates noted a continued shift away from core workplace issues in favour of politicized messaging, often presented with little opportunity for open or respectful debate.

Serious procedural concerns were also raised. Delegates reported limited time to speak for or against resolutions, a lack of meaningful opportunity to propose amendments, and a troubling lack of transparency in the Action Plan process. These patterns contributed to a broader sense of predetermined outcomes and biased decision-making that left many feeling silenced.

CUPE Ontario conventions are meant to reflect democratic input and inclusive representation, yet with fewer than 1% of members in attendance, it is more important than ever that diverse voices be present and heard.

For Jewish and Zionist members, the experience underscored the importance of showing up, speaking out, and advocating for our community. Despite the challenges, it was deeply heartening to receive support and solidarity from fellow delegates throughout the week - a reminder that we are not alone.

The CUPE National Convention is scheduled for October. If you are interested in attending and helping ensure a strong presence, please reach out to your local for more information. Your voice matters.

Union Endorsement of Labour 4 Palestine

From coast to coast, Labour 4 Palestine (L4P) has been putting on presentations, promoted as education, for union members.  L4P presents itself as peaceful and focused on human rights. In reality, their advocacy is steeped in anti-Israel rhetoric and full endorsement of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. 

L4P presents itself as a movement rooted in workers’ rights, but its actions and messaging reveal that it has little genuine concern for labour. Instead, it exploits the language of worker solidarity to advance a narrow, ideologically driven political agenda.

On October 7, 2023, L4P Ottawa posted on Instagram: “Last night, the resistance in Gaza led an attack against the occupation and has taken occupation soldiers hostages.” This statement is demonstrably false. In truth, Hamas unleashed a savage, premeditated massacre and involved the abduction of many civilians - including children - some of whom remain in captivity to this day.

On its website, L4P Canada cloaks its political advocacy in the language of labour rights, claiming that “under international law, occupied peoples have the right to resist military occupation, including through armed struggle.” This narrative - framed as a worker solidarity issue - serves instead to justify violence. These claims are included in their “resources” for union engagement, exploiting the credibility of the labour movement to advance their inflammatory agenda.

Most shockingly, L4P Coordinating Committee member and CAPE employee James Hutt was quoted in the January 29, 2024 edition of Midnight Sun as saying: “The labour movement used to lead militant strikes and job actions like that – and it could again. We need to build towards that goal by educating millions of workers, connecting them to radicals within and across unions, and supporting them to mobilize in big, powerful ways.” This rhetoric raises serious concerns about potential incitement to violence within Canada’s labour movement.

Despite this, many unions have provided L4P with a platform to spread misinformation, incitement, and hate.

For example, the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) passed Resolution Composite C-1, committing to:

"Stand in solidarity and work collaboratively with the Labour 4 Palestine (L4P) organization to support a positive outcome that aligns with our shared values of justice, human rights, and solidarity."

When challenged on this endorsement, the BCGEU President claimed the resolution simply directed the union to stand in solidarity with L4P only to the extent that shared values exist. He stated that while the union does not support everything L4P promotes (such as BDS), it reserves the right to “pick and choose” which values to support.

But L4P’s actions speak louder than any resolution.

At a recent L4P workshop hosted by the Health Sciences Association of BC (HSABC), the following words were used:

• “Apartheid” / “Israeli apartheid” – 58 times
• “Genocide” / “Israeli genocide” – 15 times
• “Settler” / “Colonial” – 22 times
• “Ethnic cleansing” – 6 times
• “Occupation” / “Occupy” – 12 times
• “Oppression” / “Oppressed” – 10 times
• “War crimes” / “Israeli war crimes” – 10 times

Union leadership did not step in to challenge any of these inflammatory statements. This was despite the union’s own Constitution, Harassment and Discrimination Policy, and Equity Statement, all of which require intervention when harm occurs.

Before the workshop, Jewish union members and the CJLC formally requested the session be cancelled. The union refused, responding that hosting the session did not constitute an endorsement. Their only concession was to open with a statement acknowledging the “sensitive nature” of the presentation and asking members to attend with “an open mind.”

But how can that happen when one side is openly maligning the other?

Canadian Labour Congress Divides Instead of Unites

On June 17, 2025, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)’s released a statement that clearly did not describe their call for “justice, peace, and recognition”. Instead, this political declaration was one-sided and purposely ignored critical facts, failing to advance a just resolution in any way.

The CLC has missed an opportunity to be a constructive voice for peace by handpicking facts that that does not acknowledge much of a deeply painful situation happening in the Middle East. This distorts reality and adds to the growing polarization within our labour movement and across Canadian society. This lopsided position does not reflect the views or values of all CLC members, nor does it foster unity.

We call on the CLC to abandon this counterproductive finger-pointing and instead use its platform to bring people together - promoting understanding, combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and working toward real solutions rooted in truth and mutual recognition.

The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee (CJLC) calls on unions and labour organizations to choose their words with care and to recognize that those words matter.  Union members in Ontario and Canada rely on leadership of these institutions to be the voice for ALL members.  As gatekeepers of freedom of expression, unions and labour entities must not abdicate this responsibility. 

Get Involved

The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee (CJLC), made up of Jewish members across multiple provincial and federal unions, has been working closely with Jewish workers across the country since its official launch on September 3, 2024. Guided by our mission statement, we continue to focus on the pressing issues of combating antisemitism within the union environment as well as advancing inclusive policies.

If you're interested in combating antisemitism in your union or connecting with other Jewish members and allies, reach out:

General Inquiries: [email protected]

Union - CJLC Contact
PSAC - [email protected]
HSABC - [email protected]
BCGEU - [email protected]
OPSEU - [email protected]
CUPE - [email protected]
CAPE - [email protected]
PIPSC - [email protected]

Is your union not listed?

You can still get involved. Email us to get started. We’ll support you every step of the way.