Almost all of the Canadian parliamentary candidates who endorsed the Vote Palestine policy platform lost their riding race in Monday’s federal election, according to preliminary results, with a total of 25 of the 362 candidates securing seats — though some candidates defeated their pro-Palestinian peers.
Eighteen of the 28 Liberal Party candidates who endorsed the platform will be part of the 45th parliament, many of them being incumbents. Only 10% of the incoming Liberal Party 169 MPs endorsed the platform, which called for a two-way arms embargo against Israel, Canadian recognition of a Palestinian state, and an end to all engagement with Israeli settlements and a ban on ownership of properties in those towns. Notable Liberal signatories to the platform include Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Nate Erskine-Smith and incumbent Burlington North—Milton West MP Adam van Koeverden — the latter of which made waves during the election campaign after telling potential voters in an April 12 recording that would use his position to “condemn the genocide and end the genocide in Gaza.” The use of the term “genocide” in regard to the Israeli operations in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War drew flak as Prime Minister Mark Carney attempted to distance himself from an alleged April 8 gaffe in which he suggested the same, and as he dodged challenges on the issue from New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh during debates. Six Liberals endorsed by the Vote Palestine program lost to New Democratic Party candidates that had also signed the pledge.
Singh was won of the many NDP candidates who endorsed the Vote Palestine platform that failed to secure their seats, in an election that saw a catastrophic fall from 24 to 7 seats — which would disqualify them from having a recognized parliamentary caucus. Six of the 216 NDP candidates that endorsed the Vote Palestine platform won their seats, including MP Heather McPherson, who led the push for a successful non-binding motion for an arms embargo against Israel. Seventeen NDP Vote Palestine candidates lost their race against fellow Liberal signatories, including Nakba bill proposer MP Matthew Green, who lost to Aslam Rana.
Pro-Palestinian MPs lose their seats
Many of the signatories of the platform were from the Green Party, which has historically only held a few seats in parliament. One hundred and sixteen Green Party candidates signed onto the Vote Palestine platform, but only party Leader Elizabeth May retained her seat. Co-leader Jonathan Pedneault failed to unseat Jewish Liberal MP and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Rachel Bendayan, and the only other Green MP, Mike Morrice, lost to a Conservative Party rival. 10 of the Green Vote Palestine candidates lost to Liberal or NDP signatories.
Both Bloc Québécois candidates who signed the platform lost their races.
Six smaller political parties, the Centrist Party of Canada, Communist Party of Canada, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada, Revolution Party of Canada, Young Greens of Canada, and Young New Democrats also signed onto the platform, but each only obtained a few thousand votes across Canada.
Vote Palestine said in a Tuesday Instagram Post that the Election Day was just the beginning of its mobilization, and would continue to make “Palestine a key election issue.”
“We brought Palestine to every campaign office, rally, street corner, and campus — mobilizing to make sure that Canadian politicians could not ignore our demands,” said the platform, which was affiliated with the Palestinian Youth Movement. “We have shown that our movement is a force that cannot be ignored. No matter which party forms the next government, the Palestine solidarity movement will continue to grow.”
Honest Reporting Canada said on Tuesday that while the platform received coverage prior to the election, it expected the media to report about the Vote Palestine’s failures.
“These results tell a story that is unmistakable: Voters overwhelmingly rejected candidates who adopted the Vote Palestine platform, and the huge majority of MPs did not sign onto the policies demanded by the organizers,” HRC executive director Mike Fegelman wrote. “This is hardly surprising. Despite the loud antics of anti-Israel activists over the last 18 months, these efforts have remained on the fringes of Canadian society, and these election results show that no matter how much noise is made by these groups, they remain marginal. Their protests have whittled to small numbers, and the majority of Canadians polled have opposed their demonstrations.”
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