By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer
On August 26, the Burnaby mayor, councillors, and residents filed into city hall and found their seats, a regular biweekly occurrence. Soon after calling the meeting to order, mayor Mike Hurley turned the mic over to councillor Alison Gu to introduce a motion titled “Advocating for Canada’s Role: Peace for the Palestinian People.”
Gu called on the mayor to send a letter to the Canadian government “advocating for the establishment of a full two-way arms embargo to end both the export and import of all military goods between Canada and Israel, and for the transformation of the Gaza temporary resident visa program to safely and effectively reunify Gazan-Canadian families.” While the federal government claims it has not shipped arms to Israel in over a year, some data suggests otherwise. Additionally, Gu recommended “that the City of Burnaby be a signatory of the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge.” The pledge is to “join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
The motion to write to the federal government and sign the pledge passed unanimously, marking Burnaby as the first Canadian city committed to both action items. The Peak spoke with Jeeda Musleh, an organizer of the Apartheid-Free Communities pledge, and Sid Shniad, who helped found the pro-Palestinian organization Independent Jewish Voices, for more information on the implications of passing the motion.
The pledge “started as an extension of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, just because of all the backlash that BDS gets,” Musleh explained. “So they [Apartheid-Free Communities] wanted to expand the BDS movement, but they didn’t want to be affected by the anti-BDS laws.” The movement “doesn’t dictate to communities how to live out the pledge,” she added.
“For the City of Burnaby, it could look like not to initiate any future contracts with anything that has to do with the apartheid and genocide.” According to a council staff member, Burnaby currently does not have any contracts with Israeli firms. The city was also the first in Canada to call for a ceasefire in Gaza in November 2023.
“In addition, we’re hoping that they will pass some policies regarding the anti-Palestinian racism that has been happening in so many places, especially in Burnaby,” Musleh said. “Things like enhancing the knowledge about anti-Palestinian racism cases and educating employees to be aware when it happens and how to deal with it.”
She also explained the pledge is designed as a network. “We’re planning our first in-person Apartheid Communities conference beginning of November, and in this conference, we’re planning to open those spaces for these communities to connect and learn from each other,” Musleh said. Groups can “educate each other about not only the history of Palestine, but also share about ways they’re living out their pledge.
“When communities sign the pledge, it’s not only just a piece of paper, it’s basically signing on to a process, signing on to be part of this network of pro-humanity communities around the world.” — Jeeda Musleh, organizer for Apartheid-Free Communities
Musleh stressed that any type of community or group can sign the pledge.
For Shniad, the council’s unanimous decision shows “that civil society is moving strongly and positively in the direction of support for Palestine, and that people’s eyes are being opened by a combination of education around the issue, and the horrific crimes that Israel is committing.
“It doesn’t cost any money, it’s merely an undertaking that your organization will dissociate itself from Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians and do whatever you can to put pressure on Israel to cease and desist,” Shniad said.
The Peak reached out to Gu for next steps but did not receive a response by the publication deadline.
