Eight weeks ago, when Prime Minister Mark Carney was preparing to welcome his G7 counterparts, we joined more than 500 law professors, academics, lawyers, former Canadian ambassadors and civil society leaders, confessional and union groups from all over the country to send him an open letter exhorting him in Gaza.
Instead, G7 leaders have ignored the situation in Gaza, and today the situation on the ground is even more dramatic, because famine gets worse and people are killed while they are queuing to get food aid. The Israeli agreement authorizing dangerous and symbolic air drops and temporary breaks in the fighting is far from responding to the deadly gravity of the situation.
Two weeks ago, Canada joined 24 other states and the European Union to demand that the Israeli government immediately raise all restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza.
They said they were ready to take other measures. But the restrictions for help have not been lifted and no other measure has been taken. Staying their arms crossed and looking at children, dying of deliberately caused hunger is an indelible stain on the conscience of the world.
Canada had the opportunity to take the additional measures promised at the start of last week at a major United Nations Conference in New York.
There have been great words and some new funding, but nothing that can be considered a significant action to put an end to this crisis.
We salute the announcement made by Prime Minister Carney of the intention of Canada to recognize the state of Palestine in September. But his government can and must do much more now.
We share below an overview of the main recommendations that we made in early June and which, unfortunately, remain an absolute emergency.
June 9, 2025
Prime Minister Carney,
We send you this open letter due to the humanitarian crisis and catastrophic human rights violations that have been rampant in Gaza for twenty months now and which are widely considered by experts in international law and the main human rights organizations as constituting genocide.
Waiting, procrastinating, staying silent and not acting, or worse, refusing to act in the face of overwhelming and indisputable evidence of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity can no longer be an option for Canada. But it is not enough to simply express themselves.
Canada must do everything in its power to put an end to these atrocities and support efforts to translate those responsible. This is what our signatures require on the Convention on genocide from 1948 and the Rome status from 1998 establishing the International Criminal Court.
We offer five priority recommendations, which are described in more detail in our full letter.
- Work actively in favor of an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the release of all Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.
- Insist on full humanitarian access to Gaza, in accordance with the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, and require the total lifting of the prohibition imposed by Israel at the United Nations Rescue and Work Office.
- Publicly support the role of international courts and fully comply with their decisions so that the authors of violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as in Israel, are required to account.
- Take all possible national measures, in particular to immediately withdraw from the free trade agreement between Canada and Israel, strengthen existing sanctions against Hamas and certain extremist settlers and politicians by imposing sanctions on Israeli leaders and other people suspected of being involved in criminal atrocities, the opening of investigations on the accusations of genocide, crimes of war and crimes against war and crimes against humanity under the Law on crimes against humanity and war crimes (including against any Canadian or national with dual nationality involved in such crimes) with a view to pursuing the authors of these crimes in Canada or in other jurisdictions, the application of a total and complete embargo on arms in both directions, and the withdrawal of the status of a charitable organization to organizations recognized as guilty of complicity in crimes relating to international law.
- In accordance with your recent commitment, joining the 149 states without delay which recognize the state of Palestine and support all the efforts aimed at that Palestine is accepted as a full member of the United Nations.
Gerald K. Barr, C.M., former Chairman and CEO, Canadian Council for International Cooperation
Dr. Susan Bazilli,Director, international project for women’s rights, and member of the group of independent experts on the situation of human rights to the Bélarus of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Paul Champ, Personal rights lawyer
Robert Collette, Former ambassador of Canada, head of the Canada Protocol and Sherpa for the Francophonie
François Crépeau, OC, Professor of international law at McGill University and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Migrants Human Rights
Roxanne Dubé, Former ambassador of Canada
John Dugard, Professor emeritus of international law and former special rapporteur of the United Nations on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories
Pearl Eliadis, Lawyer specializing in human rights, Associate Professor (Professional) at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, full member of the Center for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism of the Faculty of Law of McGill University
Leilani Farha, former special rapporteur of the United Nations on the right to housing
Paul faulty, Lawyer specializing in international law and former Canadian diplomat
Howard Green, Former assistant subminister, Service Canada-Ontario Region (2006-2012)
David Halton, Former foreign CBC correspondent
Mark Hancock, National President, Canadian Public Service Syndicate
Louise Harel, MP, Minister, President, Quebec National Assembly (1981-2008)
Ardi Impond to, Deputy Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, Queen’s University
Barbara Jackman, C.M.,lawyer specializing in human rights
Susan Johnson, Former assistant secretary general of the Canadian Red Cross and former permanent representative to the United Nations, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Companies
Molly Kane, Former director general of Inter Pares and former director general of the Council of Canadians
Judith Keene, Vice-president (retired), Ontario Human Rights Tribunal
Mark Kersten, deputy professor, criminology and criminal justice, University of the Fraser Valley
L. Richard Kohler, Former Canadian Ambassador
Fannie Lafontaine, Holder professor, law faculty, former holder of the Canada Research Chair in International Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Laval University
Stephen Lewis, Former ambassador of Canada to the United Nations
Michael Lynk, Professor Emeritus of Law, Western University, and former Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories
James Manly, Former MP (1980-1988)
Peggy Mason, President, Institute curtain, and former ambassador of Canada for disarmament to the United Nations
Heidi Matthews, Assistant professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
Rosemary McCarney, Former ambassador of Canada to the United Nations and at the disarmament conference
Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Principal researcher, Higher School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa
Alex Neve, O.C., Senior researcher, Higher School of Public and International Affairs, and guest professor and auxiliary in international human rights law, University of Ottawa
Dr Pamela Palmater,Holder of the Chair in Aboriginal Governance, Metropolitan University of Toronto
Gar Pardy, Former Canadian Ambassador
L’honorable Kim Pate, C.M., Senator of Ontario and assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa
Nathan Pray, President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees
Gordon Ritchie, former federal assistant and ambassador for negotiations on free trade
Douglas Roche, O.C., Former deputy, senator and ambassador
Allan Rock, C.P., C.M., K.C., Former Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General of Canada, and former ambassador of Canada to the United Nations
Hig E. Sarafian, Former Canada Ambassador
William Schabas, O.C., Professor of international law, Middlesex University
Pamela Scholey, Former coordinator, working group on international critical incidents, global affairs canada
George Summerwill, former communications director, department of United Nations peacekeeping operations; Former president of the Canadian Association for the United Nations, Vancouver section
Earl Turcotte, former Canadian diplomat and United Nations official
David Viveash, Former Political Section Head at the Canada Embassy in Tel Aviv and representative of the Palestinian Authority at the Canada Representation Office in Ramallah
The full text of the open letter and the complete list of 532 signatories are available ici.
