The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) voted to cut ties with the Israeli Histadrut during its 2026 convention on Thursday, according to Labour for Palestine Canada (LPC) and the Canadian Jewish Labour Committee (CJLC).
However, the amended resolution did not ban all Israeli goods, services, and institutional ties as originally proposed.
The “Hot Cargo and Israel” submitted by LPC in February alleged that the Histadrut was a “partner in the colonization of Palestine since the foundation of Israel, and maintains discriminatory practices against Palestinian workers.”
The original resolution for Canada’s largest labor body to consider also described Israel as an apartheid system and engaged in genocide in Gaza. The new resolution calls for a two-way arms embargo, targeted sanctions against international law violators, and suspension of the Canada-Israel Free Trade agreement.
“Delegates at the CLC voted overwhelmingly in support of the amended resolution that calls on the CLC to cut ties with the Histadrut. In doing so, they voted to stand in solidarity with the workers, trade unions, and the people of Palestine and against Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide,” LPC said on Thursday.
“The Histadrut is the so-called labor central that has been complicit in genocide and colonization in Palestine since the 1920s,” LPC added.
'Trade unions should be a force for bridge-building, not ideological purges'
The pro-Palestinian organization bemoaned that not all Israeli goods and services had been sanctioned by the labor union, claiming that earlier in the week, a democratic debate about the matter had been blocked. The activists then reportedly submitted the amended resolution, which was ultimately successful.
The Histadrut rejected the motion, it told The Jerusalem Post on Monday, saying that it was reviewing the implications of the decision. The Histadrut dismissed claims that it was a discriminatory organization, explaining that it represented a million workers from across Israeli society, including Jews, Arabs, Druze, Christians, secular, and religious laborers.
“Unlike those calling for exclusion, we have spent decades doing the difficult work of defending workers’ rights in practice, including for tens of thousands of Palestinian workers employed in Israel through collective agreements, legal protections, and direct union representation,” said a spokesperson.
“Canadian unions, too, have had a constructive role in the past, alleviating the hardships of Palestinian workers. Those seeking to isolate the Histadrut are not advancing peace, coexistence, or workers’ rights. They are weakening the very partnerships that have delivered tangible protections and economic dignity for Palestinian and Israeli workers alike.
“Trade unions should be a force for bridge-building, not ideological purges. We will continue to stand proudly for dialogue, democracy, coexistence, and the rights and security of all workers in the region, regardless of political pressure or intimidation,” the spokesperson concluded.
CLC also condemned the vote, saying in a Thursday statement that the resolution “brought shame” to the labor movement and was an act of “discrimination, ideological extremism, and a betrayal of the solidarity.”
The committee also argued that the Histadrut’s diversity had been ignored and isolated as a partner in cooperation and collective bargaining on behalf of Palestinian unions.
“This is a sad day for Canadian labor and a betrayal of the principles of solidarity and equality it claims to defend. Ending a relationship with Histadrut is not about peace or workers’ rights,” said CLC.
“It is political extremism masquerading as social justice. If Canadian labor truly cared about influence or dialogue, it would engage with Israeli trade unionists, not isolate them,” CLC added.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on X/Twitter on Thursday that the vote left Jewish members of the congress feeling unrepresented.
“Union leaders should focus on the crucial issues facing their rank and file members, rather than on extreme and meaningless motions like this that only serve to divide,” said CIJA.