The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), Canada’s largest provincial labour federation representing over one million workers, recognizes what is happening in Gaza for what it is: genocide.
Following the October 7 attacks, we called for an immediate ceasefire, the restoration of humanitarian aid, and the safe and immediate return of all hostages and civilians being held without charge. Since then, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been wounded, missing, and displaced. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble. Civilians are being starved in what Human Rights Watch now confirms is a deliberate campaign of extermination.
This is not a humanitarian crisis, it is a famine manufactured by the Israeli government. It is not a “conflict” or war: it is colonial violence and genocide.
From the frontlines of the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa to solidarity with workers around the world, Canada’s labour movement has a proud legacy of confronting injustice. That legacy demands we act with the same clarity and courage today.
We endorse Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske’s letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney urging the federal government to move beyond statements and take immediate action. We echo those demands and further call for:
- Formal recognition of the State of Palestine by the Canadian government
- Sanctions against the Israeli government for violations of international law
- An end to Canada’s diplomatic and economic support for Israeli apartheid
- Immediate action by the United Nations to formally recognize the genocide in Gaza and to hold Israeli officials accountable through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to which Canada is a signatory, under the Genocide Convention
The international community and several G7 nations are beginning to demand immediate action:
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the United Kingdom will recognize the State of Palestine by September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” toward ending its war on Gaza
Canada must respond with similar urgency. Although the Canadian government has publicly denied sending arms to Israel, investigative reports have revealed that Canadian-made weapons parts and military components have continued to flow, often indirectly, into Israel’s war machine.
We join the International Trade Union Confederation to also condemn the violent assault on labour leader Chris Smalls, who was detained and brutalized by Israeli forces aboard the Handala Flotilla. This was not an isolated incident: it is part of a broader campaign to silence dissent and criminalize workers who show solidarity in the face of injustice. Trade unionists fight for more than wages: we fight for justice, dignity, and human rights. Solidarity means speaking out when it matters most.
This is a moment of moral clarity. The OFL calls on labour organizations across the country to join us in demanding immediate and decisive action.
History will remember who had the courage to speak out against injustice, and who chose the comfort of their silence.
See original statement
