The Ontario division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel since 2006.
In 2009 the CUPE Ontario university workers' committee proposed to extend the campaign to boycott any joint work with Israeli institutions that carry out military research.
In May 2006, the Ontario wing of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) voted unanimously to pass a resolution to support the "international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until that state recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination.
"[1] The three-point resolution continued on to call for action to develop an education campaign about the "apartheid nature of the Israeli state", and for CUPE National to conduct research into Canadian involvement in the occupation.
The BDS Campaign has received widespread support across the world from labour unions, church organizations and city councils.
In January 2021, B'Tselem, a highly respected Israeli human rights organization issued a report that declared Israel to be an apartheid state.
[1]An editorial in the Canadian Jewish News also took issue with some CUPE leaders comparisons between Israel's policies and South Africa's apartheid system.
By joining with the hate-filled slogans being hurled at Israel, the union, was de facto supporting, condoning and even affirming the call for the elimination of the Jewish State.
Sid Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario, stated that "Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general."
Ryan stated that the resolution was a reasonable response to Israel's attack on the Islamic University, which he likened to the torching of books by Nazis during the Second World War.
[10][11] Janice Folk-Dawson, chairwoman of the university workers committee, stated that resolution will protect the quality of education by preventing Israeli academics from professing biased views.
"[14] Judy Haiven, an assistant professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who is Jewish, commended CUPE for calling for the boycott.
In a letter to the editor, Haiven stated that "the many silent professors in Israel who refuse to criticize their own government for human rights violations and for murdering Arab civilians should not be welcomed," although "Israeli academics who speak against the massacre in Gaza should be exempt from a boycott.
Public unions should not be used as breeding grounds for negatively singling out one group of people and denying them their basic rights and freedoms.
CIPS will continue to invite academics of any nationality to participate in scholarly activities and public speaking events in Ottawa.
[23] The Baltimore Jewish Times states that the "non-binding resolution is intended to protest Israel's recent military action in Gaza.
He also stated "to support the proposed discriminatory resolution represents another low point in the proud history of the Canadian labour movement's involvement in international affairs.
He also stated that everyone who voted in favour of the resolution was "promoting hatred and advancing a discriminatory agenda that is at odds with Canadian values of tolerance, respect and human rights for all.
[26] The Conservative Government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper sharply criticized the CUPE Ontario resolution against Israel as "intolerant."
In a media release posted on the party's website, Liberal Justice Critic Dominic LeBlanc stated that boycotts or divestment appeals that target Israel for singular condemnation and exclusion are unacceptable.
In a statement published in the National Post, Ignatieff stated: The Liberal Party of Canada condemns the CUPE resolution in the strongest possible terms.
[26] Some observers have questioned what practical effect the resolution could have since the 20,000 university workers represented by CUPE Ontario include campus staff but almost no full-time faculty.