June 6, 2025
The Canadian Government Must Act to Stop the Genocide of Palestinians
The Canadian Council for Refugees is calling for immediate action by the Canadian government to stop the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and to secure a just peace.
For decades, Palestinians have been experiencing the nightmare of the world’s longest protracted refugee crisis. More than 80% of Gaza's population are refugees or descendants of refugees and more than 90% of Palestinians in Gaza are now internally displaced, many of them repeatedly. What we are witnessing today is not only genocide; it is the genocide of refugees in a population already displaced, dispossessed, and denied their basic rights.
CCR welcomes the recent joint statement of Canada, France and the United Kingdom opposing the escalation of Israeli military operations in Gaza and restrictions on food entering the region and underscoring how permanent forced displacement is a breach of international law. We commend Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand for condemning the use of food as a political tool and for reiterating Canada’s call for a ceasefire.
The time to move to more ‘concrete actions’ is now.
For the past 19 months, Israel has carried out a continuous assault on Gaza—including the blocking of humanitarian aid and food, and indiscriminate attacks on religious sites, hospitals, schools, refugee camps, humanitarian convoys, and designated 'safe' evacuation routes. This violence is genocidal. Today, 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are at critical risk of famine through forced starvation including tens of thousands of children.
During this time, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued multiple rulings calling for immediate action to prevent genocide and regarding Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestine. The ICJ lays out corresponding obligations for states and international organizations to refrain from supporting or legitimizing actions that contribute to this occupation. The International Criminal Court has also issued arrest warrants against those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in this conflict.
People across Canada are aghast at the unfolding horror of the genocide and calling for greater Canadian leadership to secure peace and an end to the violence. As the leading national voice for the rights and protection of refugees and migrants in Canada and globally, CCR joins this call.
Canada’s immigration response to this crisis through the Gaza Temporary Resident Visa program has been woefully inadequate and must be transformed. The restrictive cap of five thousand spots has already been met. But according to the government, of applications accepted, only about 1000 have been approved to come to Canada and only 616 have made it here to safety.
There are factors outside of Canada’s control that affect the safe exit of Palestinians from Gaza, but many of the obstacles to this humanitarian pathway are of Canada’s making and we should spare no effort to remove those. The more recent revised commitments to ensure settlement and financial supports, and to refund visa and biometric fees are welcome, but health coverage still remains too limited at three months given the trauma and war from which people have fled.
Beyond offering humanitarian pathways for those able to escape the violence in Gaza, Canada must take stronger diplomatic action to help secure a ceasefire, end its complicity in the genocide, and hold those responsible to account under international law.
CCR calls on the Canadian Government to:
- Advocate more vigorously on the international stage for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor to enable food and essential aid to be delivered without restrictions.
- End Canada’s complicity in the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the region by implementing a full, two-way and immediate arms embargo on Israel.
- Fulfill Canada’s legal obligations by actively supporting and advocating for implementation of the rulings of the ICJ both with respect to preventing genocide and unlawful occupation, and from the International Criminal Court regarding prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Recognize and support the fulfillment of the right of Palestinians to self-determination, the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and internally displaced, and the right to live a life free from violence, oppression, occupation, famine and genocide.
- Reopen and transform the Temporary Resident Visa program for Gaza, removing its invasive and burdensome restrictions as recommended by CCR, expediting processing and access to safe transport, ensuring access for people who do not have family links here or who have family that do not meet the criteria including those with vulnerabilities because of disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, and extending access to the Interim Federal Health Program to at least 12 months.
- Adopt measures to counteract “Anti-Palestinian Racism” as described by the 2022 Arab Canadian Lawyers Association report in all government policies and practices, including immigration policies.