How Palestine Activists Eked Out a Win at the Canadian Labour Congress

The largest labour organization in Canada has committed to cutting ties with Israel’s trade federation, the Histadrut.

A resolution passed at the constitutional convention of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) in Winnipeg earlier this month also calls on the Canadian government to support a two-way arms embargo, suspend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and condemn Israeli settlement expansion.

Kevin MacKay, who attended the convention as a delegate from the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), told PressProgress that, when it came time for the vote, “We had a lot of the biggest labour leaders in the hall lining up at the mic to either speak or show support for the resolution.”

“It’s amazing to have leadership on board,” said MacKay, an anthropology professor at Mohawk College. “That’s not always the case.”

Until the eleventh hour, delegates like MacKay weren’t sure if they would be voting on a resolution to cut ties with the Histadrut — after a resolution to declare trade, services and relationships with Israel to be “hot cargo” was disqualified altogether.

MacKay is a member of Labour For Palestine (L4P), a volunteer-run effort made up of workers from across Canada. The group has been organizing to pass hot-cargo resolutions at provincial labour federations that would instruct workers to refrain from handling all goods produced by, or going to, Israel.

Less than a week before the convention began, activists with L4P got word that the resolution they spearheaded, which would have committed the CLC to issuing a hot-cargo declaration and cutting ties with the Histadrut, had been given a “non-concurrence” decision by the CLC’s General Resolutions Committee, meaning it wouldn’t be presented to delegates for a vote.

“We believe that this is a political discussion and a political decision,” Hassan Husseini, a member of L4P’s national steering committee, told PressProgress just ahead of the convention.

He said that while non-concurrence decisions are not uncommon and can be given for a variety of reasons, it was unexpected for a resolution with broad support.

The resolution had been submitted by 11 labour bodies from across the country, including NUPGE, the Ontario Federation of Labour and labour councils in Toronto, Waterloo and Halifax, as well as numerous locals of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers — more groups than sponsored any other resolution submitted to the convention.

Hot-cargo resolutions were also passed at the conventions of the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador labour federations last year.

Fred Hahn, the outgoing president of CUPE Ontario who faced calls to resign as a result of his criticism of Israel, agreed with Husseini’s assessment.

“Generally, those sorts of resolutions that have been able to be debated in a whole bunch of different venues and have received democratic support from all the different structures of our movement… In my experience, anyway, it’s pretty uncommon for a resolution like that to get non-concurrence,” said Hahn, who didn’t attend this year’s convention.

Also included in the resolutions handbook were a number of other resolutions concerning Palestine, including one put forward by the CLC itself condemning “the on-going genocide in Gaza and the West Bank and the global rise of anti-Palestinian racism and antisemitism.” The resolution included calls for the Canadian government to “support a two-way arms embargo” and suspend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, but didn’t include any clauses about hot cargo or cutting ties with the Histadrut.

Husseini, who works as a national negotiator for the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said the resolution simply reiterated “the existing position” of the CLC.

“It’s not bad, but it doesn’t advance the position, it doesn’t make the position progress in a better direction with some concrete commitments, things that the CLC itself can do, like break ties with the racist Histadrut,” Husseini said before the convention.

The resolution put forward by L4P members described the Histadrut as a “partner in the colonization of Palestine since the foundation of Israel” that “maintains discriminatory practices against Palestinian workers.”

While Palestinian citizens of Israel have been allowed to join the Histadrut since 1959 and have been able to vote in Histadrut elections since 1965, Palestinian workers employed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are still not allowed membership in the labour federation.

In November 2023, Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David was photographed signing a missile bound for Gaza with the words “The people of Israel are alive. Greetings from the Histadrut and the workers in Israel.”

In a statement to PressProgress, the Histadrut said, “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.”

Behind-the-scenes manoeuvring

When asked why the CLC submitted a separate resolution regarding Palestine, spokesperson Karyne Vienneau wrote that the CLC’s was “a strong resolution expressing solidarity with Palestinians and was submitted through the Canadian Council, which represents every affiliate of the CLC, reflecting broad unity and solidarity across the labour movement on these issues.”

“The CLC and its affiliated unions remain deeply concerned about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and continue to advocate for peace, the protection of human rights, and respect and adherence to international laws.”

Article 11(4)(c) of the CLC constitution (pdf) allows convention committees to “combine resolutions into a composite resolution or prepare a substitute resolution that covers the intent.”

Vienneau did not address a question from PressProgress about why the hot-cargo resolution was given a non-concurrence decision.

Hahn described the CLC’s submission of a separate resolution and the move to not put the hot-cargo resolution to a vote as a “classic” move that labour organizations sometimes make. He said when there is a resolution put forward that some believe is too extreme, it’s not uncommon for organizations to submit an alternative.

“We would have preferred Labour For Palestine to get the actual resolution on hot cargo and disaffiliation from the Histadrut passed,” said MacKay. “That was the resolution that we wanted to see come to the floor.”

MacKay said that when it became clear that, despite activists’ best efforts, the hot-cargo resolution wouldn’t be debated and voted on, delegates decided to pivot.

“We thought, ‘Okay, let’s maybe try and make this resolution a little bit better,’” recalled MacKay.

A delegate successfully moved to refer the motion back to the resolutions committee to include cutting ties to the Histadrut labour federation in Israel. It’s a risky strategy since the committee may not bring the amended version back for debate.

#clc2026

— Larry Savage (@profsavage.bsky.social) May 13, 2026 at 12:52 PM

When the CLC’s resolution on Palestine was presented to the floor, a delegate requested that it be referred back to the resolutions committee with an amendment that would commit the CLC to ending its relationship with the Histadrut.

The amendment was accepted by the committee, and the revised resolution was presented to delegates the following day.

MacKay said he was still in line to speak when the vote was called, so was unable to confirm exactly what portion of delegates voted in favour, but said it was described to him as a roughly 80-20 split in favour.

Asked about the resolution’s adoption, the Histadrut told PressProgress that it “rejects the deeply divisive and counter-productive motion reportedly adopted by the Canadian Labour Congress to sever ties” and that it is reviewing the implications.

The amended resolution passes with broad support from #CLC2026. Interestingly, some of the pro and cons speakers were from the same unions.

— Larry Savage (@profsavage.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 12:45 PM

MacKay said the success of the amended resolution was all thanks to the work of committed delegates.

“At the end of the day, I think that there were a lot of great rank-and-file union activists and some leaders who were actively campaigning behind the scenes, which really just meant having conversations with people,” said MacKay.

MacKay said he thinks the potential implications of a hot-cargo resolution — workers refusing to touch goods bound to or coming from Israel, and thus refusing work — were too contentious for the “business unionist” factions of the house of labour, which he believes want to maintain an amicable relationship with employers.

“There’s a sense that something like hot cargo could have an impact on jobs in the country,” said MacKay. “I think hot cargo needs to happen and will happen. It’s a matter of time until we take that full step.”

(The CLC didn’t respond to a request for comment on MacKay’s perspective.)

👏Historic resolution passed at #CLC2026 convention. Broad support for @canadianlabour.bsky.social cutting ties with Israel’s largest trade union federation. Strong organizing by @palestinelabour.bsky.social and activists across Canada.

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— Sean Tucker (@seantucker.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 12:58 PM

Hahn told PressProgress he’s grateful to have spent much of his career at CUPE Ontario, which adopted a boycott, divestment and sanctions resolution in 2006, but said he realizes that not all parts of the Canadian labour movement “see the fundamental importance of international solidarity and social trade unionism in the same way that the union that I come from does.”

He said unions are increasingly encouraged to narrow their focus to solely the wages and working conditions of their existing members, rather than seeing how struggles are interconnected.

“I appreciate why there may be people who think that that is a short-term strategy, but it never makes sense in the long term,” said Hahn.

Still, both MacKay and Hahn agreed that even without the hot-cargo resolution, the resolution that passed at the CLC is a victory, and is indicative of a “sea change” in Canadian workers’ understanding of Palestine and international solidarity.

“Workers did the right thing,” said Hahn, in successfully navigating the constraints of the system “to push our movement to be on the right side of history.”