Canada’s largest labor union votes to support BDS

(JTA) — Canada’s largest private sector labor union adopted a motion in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, or BDS.

The union passed the motion last month at its Unifor Canadian Council held in Winnipeg. Unifor is made up of more than 310,000 members across Canada.

The resolution titled “Palestinian Self-Determination and the Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” read: “BE IT RESOLVED that Unifor supports the use of divestment, boycott and sanctions (“BDS”) that are targeted to those sectors of Israel’s economy and society which profit from the ongoing occupation of the OPT; and […] BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Unifor will support such a form of BDS until such time as Israel implements a permanent ban on further settlement construction in the OPT, and enters into good faith negotiations with representatives of the Palestinian people for the purpose of establishing a viable, contiguous and truly sovereign Palestinian state ; and THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Unifor opposes all efforts to prohibit, punish or otherwise deter expressions of support for BDS.”

The 19 other motions dealt with issues such as pay equity, worker education and persons with disabilities, according to the Toronto Sun. No other motions related to alleged abuses of human rights were contained in the “Solidarity for a Better World” resolution package adopted by delegates to the council.

“It is appalling that Unifor has allowed itself to be drawn into the anti-Semitic, divisive and counter-productive BDS campaign against Israel. The resolution that passed last week at Unifor’s Canadian Council is misguided and shameful, and it suggests that Unifor has a complete lack of understanding of the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. BDS has been roundly rejected by all major federal political parties,” Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told the Canadian Jewish News.