2022 Overview
During 2022, Just Peace Advocates
- sponsored 38 letter writing campaigns, with over 105,000 actions reaching about 2.5 million mailboxes
- led the drafting and obtaining of sponsors for three parliamentary petitions and assisted with several others
- had 30+ media releases on topics that do not make the mainstream media. Our list of 2500 media contacts is Canada-based but includes media from around the world
- mailing list remained at 30,000 over the year!
- sent out 80+ e-blasts to our followers, as well as were present on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
- provided our Legal Resources and Tactical Guide for Palestine Human Rights Advocacy & Activism, a comprehensive Canadian legal resources and tactical guide for Palestine human rights advocacy & activism, and other related resources to a dozen Canadian student groups and many others
- maintained a legal network of 100+ lawyers who received about a dozen e-news during the year
- worked to bolster the Palestine solidarity movement across the country by challenging efforts to threaten, harass and legally bully activists into silence and inaction in Canada, providing advocacy support to students, grassroots activists and affected communities who stand for justice in Palestine
- monitored incidents of suppression to expose trends in tactics to silence Palestine activism
- published more than a dozen op-eds in publications such as Canadian Dimension, Mondoweiss, Spring, Palestine Chronicle and the Electronic Intifada
- reached about 5K through our approximately dozen webinars all coordinated in collaboration with other organizations
- prepared more than 100 statements and posts that were shared during the year from its website
A few campaign highlights include:
In September 2022, Just Peace Advocates joined with Al-Haq to make a formal submission to the UN Database that called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the Montreal headquartered transnational WSP for its complicity in violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention in regard to its involvement in the Jerusalem Light Rail project.
During 2022, the campaign to stop illegal Israeli military recruiting continued including filing an addendum in January 2022 to the July 2021 Canada Revenue Agency complaint on Canadian Zionist Cultural Association (CZCA).
In December 2022, a complaint was made to the Canada Revenue Agency in regard to Mizrachi Canada’s support of the settler colonial Regavim. Over 30 organizations have endorsed the campaign “Colonization is Not Charity” which will see further follow up on Canadian charities supporting illegal settler colonization in the apartheid state.
Almost 1300 letters were sent to the Canadian Council of Churches and its members asking them to name apartheid after Amnesty International published their report in early 2022. When the United Church of Canada chose to once again ignore the call of Palestine’s Christians, this was exposed by Just Peace Advocates including through the article: One day under occupation is too long: Message to the United Church of Canada.
During 2022, building on the federal” I Vote Palestine” campaign in 2019 and 2021, Just Peace Advocates led campaigns contacting candidates during the spring Ontario provincial election and the fall Ontario municipal and school board elections resulting in engagement for many candidates wishing to understand better anti-Palestinian racism and the promotion of the IHRA definition.
Based on Just Peace Advocates’ work, the Toronto Star changed an inaccurate headline regarding the Israeli military killing of Al Jazeera journalist on May 12, 2022, as well as content in an article on October 9, 2022.
Just Peace Advocates working with other organizations launched the FIFA: Suspend Apartheid Israel campaign in May 2022, and the Kick Out Apartheid website in November 2022. These highlighted Israel’s violations of the principles of FIFA in a variety of ways that would normally warrant disciplinary actions and even a suspension of its membership. Webinars, letter writing and other work were part of building civil society engagement momentum leading to the 2022 World Cup, and the ongoing work to stop this double standard among FIFA and its confederations.
The campaign regarding the Canada public pension plan continued with analysis showing that at least 7% of CPPIB investments are complicit with Israeli war crimes, and that the Quebec pension plan, CDPQ includes approaching 5% or more of its holdings invested in companies complicit with Israeli war crimes. Just Peace Advocates coordinated participation across the country at the regional meeting held by CPPIB to highlight these and other unethical investments, and a webinar on “What is the CPPIB really up to?” was held.
On the eve of Roger Waters Montreal’s Bell Centre performance, the rock legend supported McGill students who faced a litany of attacks for advancing the Palestinian Liberation movement/silencing at McGill. Just Peace Advocates joined with the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute to arrange for this event, as well as several others including on silencing of Palestine through education, double standards, and defending Palestinian civil society.
Efforts were made during the year to call the NDP to remove its members from the Canada-Israel (CAIL parliamentary group, to name hypocrisy by the Canadian government be it through statements such as “Canada does not fund nor arm Israel,” information showing that the “orphan” UN vote for self-determination was related to Canada’s bid at the UNSC, or the failure of Canada to act in the case of Salah Hammouri or Khurrem Parvez.
Work continued through the year in support of Kashmir, recognizing we are approaching 75 years since UNSC Resolution 47 promised self-determination through a plebiscite.
Intersectional leadership such as launching the No Armed Drones campaign is key to the efforts of Just Peace Advocates, as we continue to be part of many Canadian and international coalitions and networks, and work in partnership with dozens of organizations across Canada and around the world.
Check out: “Erasing Palestine” on Taybeh wine & beer presented by Just Peace Advocates at World Social Forum after the CBC article.
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Read our annual report below:
A few of our campaigns highlighted:
105 Organizations Submit on WSP’s Illegal Settlement Enterprise to UN Database, Calling New UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Investigate
September 15, 2022: Al-Haq and Just Peace Advocates submitted a report to the newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, calling for WSP Global Inc. (WSP), a Canadian company, to be included to the UN database of businesses operating in illegal Israeli settlements (‘the database’). The submission is endorsed by 105 organizations from all over the world, in addition to esteemed individuals, such as former Canadian Member of Parliament Libby Davies; former UN Special Rapporteurs Michael Lynk, John Dugard, and Richard Falk; and Noam Chomsky
It has been a year, what is the status of your investigation of Illegal Israeli Military Recruiting in Canada?
January 7, 2022: A thousand people reminded RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki to it is over a year since information was provided to her office.
People let her know we continue to insist on a thorough investigation regarding illegal Israeli military recruiting occurring in Canada.
May 14, 2022: End Canadian Support for Israeli military
Foreign “settler colonial NGO”, Regavim, founded by “proud homophobe”, receiving Canadian subsidies
December 13, 2022: Regavim’s website offers tax receipts to Canadian donors. Its fiscal sponsor is registered charity Mizrachi Canada, which channeled $6 million to Israel in 2021. A complaint was made to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in December 2022.
December 28, 2022: 30+ groups tell the Canada Revenue Agency that colonialism is not charity
FIFA: Suspend Apartheid Israel
November 20, 2022: Kick Out Apartheid! As the World Cup opens, kick off the campaign for justice in sport
The Kick Out Apartheid website launched: www.kickoutapartheid.org
Kick Out Apartheid art by Artivist at Lina Abojaradeh Art
CPPIB Invests at least 7 percent of our public pension in Israeli war crimes
The 2022 CPPIB Year-end results show increased public pension investment in Israeli war crimes. See details and actions.
Donations to Support our Work welcomed
Donations to Just Peace Advocates welcome by e-transfer, credit card or cheque. Details HERE
As grassroots, volunteer, not-for-profit organization, we depend on your support of our Palestine, Kashmir and other ant-imperial work. Therefore, we welcome any support you can provide to our work. We are a registered not-for-profit corporation in Canada. In the USA donations can also be made through our fiscal sponsor, Nonviolence International. Etransfer, cheques and credit card are welcomed.
For more information contact: info@justpeaceadvocates.ca
Art: The Art of Occupied Palestine, Palestinian artist: Taqi Spateen, Read more about Taqi’s work
