What Can Canadian Unionists Do?
The role of progressive trade unionists in Canada is to build solidarity across the union movement in opposition to Israeli apartheid. Unions should support the CUPE-Ontario resolution, pass similar ones, take up the kind of education campaign that CUPE is calling for, and participate in the developing global campaign for divestment and boycott of Israel. CUPE-Ontario is not alone. Importantly, the United Church of Canada’s Toronto branch has opened a boycott of Israeli products and companies doing business with its military. It also wants the church and its members to divest from companies supplying the Israeli military and boycott all products from the occupied territories. It also calls on Ottawa to require that products originating in the occupied territories must have separate labels, identifying their origins. This is part of an ongoing campaign by the church to oppose Israel’s occupation. The campaign website is www.torontoconference.ca/boycottdivest.htm. There is a Global Campa
