Pro-Palestine activists across Metro Vancouver are putting coordinated pressure on municipal candidates for the elections taking place in mid-October. Activists are giving candidates an opportunity to show if they oppose the genocide of the Palestinian people. They also ask them to stand against efforts by lobbies to frame resistance to the Israeli invasion as anti-semitism.
The Vote Palestine campaign – initiated by the Palestine Student Association (PSA) in collaboration with the Apartheid-Free Communities (AFC), a coalition of communities “who pledge to work together to end Israeli apartheid” – includes demands to formally condemn the Gaza genocide and enact measures to sever all ties with Israeli institutions directly involved in genocide, apartheid and illegal settlements.
“It’s a human rights issue. And our municipal government should be taking a position in favor of human rights,” says Larry Johnston, a Vote Palestine campaign organizer in Surrey.
“Vote Palestine is a grassroots project that solidarity groups are working on together to make sure that Palestine isn’t ignored in the upcoming municipal election,” says Dayla Hart, who organizes for the campaign in Vancouver.
The campaign began months before the BC NDP called a snap Provincial election to take place on Oct 24, exactly one week after municipal elections end on Oct 17. Vote Palestine has reached six cities across the region, including Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, White Rock, Maple Ridge and Nanaimo. It has the endorsement of 50 apartheid-free organizations.
Against the weaponization of anti-semitism
This campaign takes place in a particular moment for anti-genocide activism. Indeed, on september 24, Public Safety Canada released a report categorizing anti-Zionism as a form of Jewish hatred designed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
The Canada Palestine Association says the IHRA definition of antisemitism attempts to “legitimize Israel and slander all those who expose its illegal and inhumane activities.” As the federal government has shown its allyship, the CPA is calling municipal election candidates to denounce it. The Vancouver city council adopted it in November 2022.
the Independent Jewish Voice Canada (IJVC) released a statement on Sep. 29 denouncing the Canadian government’s adoption of anti-Zionism into the definition of antisemitism. As defined by the IJVC, anti-Zionism is “the rejection of Jewish settler-colonialism in Palestine and belief that Palestinians deserve dignity and safety like all other people.”
“It is crucial that we do not let Canada redefine antisemitism to silence voices that speak out against Zionism and the ongoing atrocities being committed under its ideological banner,” the statement notes.
Vote Palestine demand candidates to recognize the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) framework of anti-Palestinian racism. Campaigners believe the adoption of the ACLA framework will “automatically override” the IHRA’s classification of anti-Zionism.
Not endorsing candidates, but informing voters
Through canvassing, Vote Palestine aims to inform voters about which stance regarding the genocide each candidate is taking and convince them to only vote for candidates which adopt the campaign’s platform, Dayla Hart told The North Star.
“We’re not endorsing [any candidate],” said Ethan, a Vote Palestine organizer who asked to keep her last name private. Hart adds that “We feel that voters have the right to know which candidates are willing to commit to this four-point platform and who isn’t.”The four points are:
- Condemn the genocide
- Sign the Apartheid-Free Communities pledge
- Cut ties with Israeli institutions, including reviewing municipal contracts
- Recognize the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) framework of anti-Palestinian racism
As of October 1st, Surrey only has a couple of independent candidates officially put their names on the pledge so far. Meanwhile, Vancouver has 23 candidates who have announced their full commitment to the AFC’s pledge.
In Surrey, some candidates are more willing to sign on the AFC’s pledge as voters than incorporating it to be a part of their platform or outwardly speaking up about it.
In August 2025, the city of Burnaby became the first municipality in Canada to become an “Apartheid-Free community” by signing the pledge committing to fight against anti-Palestinian racism and calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel. Two more cities in B.C., Powell River and Duncan, joined the pledge since then.
“We want to get Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, White Rock, Maple Ridge, and Nanaimo to come on board as well,” Larry Johnston says. “That will give more incentive for other cities to do it.”
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