Burnaby BC adopted unanimously a motion by municipal councillor Alison Gu (left) to became the first Canadian municipality to declare itself an “Apartheid Free community” last August. At least one other municipality in Canada has followed suit. What does it entail and will it catch on? OFIP speaks to Jeeda Musleh of the Apartheid Free Communities initiative.

Last summer, councillors in Burnaby, B.C., a municipality in the Metro Vancouver region, unanimously passed a motion declaring the municipality an “Apartheid Free community” and calling on the federal government to impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel amid the current war in Gaza.

The motion from Coun. Alison Gu asked Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley to write to the federal government and request that the federal government stop the export and import of all military goods between Canada and Israel.

It also committed Burnaby to signing a pledge to be “apartheid free” and commit to freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people, as well as to advocate for the federal government to expand the temporary resettlement visa program for Canadians seeking to get family members out of Gaza.

Councillor Daniel Tetrault, who is Jewish and descended from Holocaust survivors, also supported the motion. “Councillors were standing up for many residents who had written to them horrified about what was going on in Gaza.” he said.

The promoter of the initiative is a British Columbia “affinity group” loosely associated with an international movement against occupation and apartheid called the Apartheid-Free network. It was originally created by faith groups across North America, including congregations, faith communities, but has now broadened to include solidarity organizations, non-profits, campus groups, businesses, and municipalities.

CTIP had a brief chat with organizer Jeeda Musleh about the growing movement.

Canada Talks Israel Palestine is the weekly newsletter of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion about Canada’s response to the Israel/Palestine issue. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
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