Free Passage for Humanitarian Aid

The efforts by the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver urgent aid directly to Palestinians facing famine must be allowed to succeed. The interception of these vessels is an unlawful act of obstruction.

Flotilla Intercepted 

As of today, Israeli forces have intercepted an international coalition of human rights activists and aid distributors in international waters. Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi condemned the interception as a “criminal act of piracy.”

Legal Obligation

UN experts have repeatedly affirmed that the Flotilla has the “right of free passage in international waters,” and that Israel “must not interfere” with this right. International humanitarian flotillas must not be attacked or obstructed; they must be allowed to freely deliver much-needed aid supplies to Gaza.

Humanitarian Crisis and Accountability Now

Starvation is being used as a weapon of war. Aid must reach the Palestinian people without delay or obstruction. We once again call for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, including all arms trade components and jet fuel, to ensure Canada is not complicit in fueling the genocide.

“There is no point in talking about a two-state solution if one of those states has been reduced to rubble and starvation.” Said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada.

Path to Justice and Self-Determination

Peace cannot be imposed; it must be built on mutual respect and justice for all. The two-state solution, with both Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace and security, remains the only viable path. We welcome the recent decision by Canada and over 150 countries to formally recognize the State of Palestine. We urge the Canadian government to take real action on sanctions, accountability, and the immediate dispatch of a UN Peacekeeping force to assure the protection of all civilians and uphold the ICJ’s ruling.

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For media inquiries or to arrange an interview: media@greenparty.ca

This is Call to Action #30 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, issued 10 years ago. Since then, Canada has made progress on some calls, and stalled on others. But when it comes to Call #30, we have made the situation woefully worse than it has ever been.

Ten years ago, Indigenous adults, 5% of the total population in Canada, made up a shocking 27% of adult admissions to federal prison. Today, that proportion is 30% for Indigenous adult males, and an inconceivable 50% for Indigenous adult females. At provincial jails, the numbers are even more bleak. In Manitoba, Indigenous persons make up 18% of the general population, yet they comprise 77% of those being held in provincial jails. Indigenous youth make up 8% of Canada’s population, yet they account for 40% of all admissions to provincial and territorial jails. Female Indigenous youth make up a staggering 70% of all female youth in jails.¹

Canada continues to fail Indigenous youth. And Canadian jails are 21st century residential schools.

The Supreme Court of Canada has repeatedly called this state of affairs a crisis. It has declared that the Canadian government is complicit in creating the circumstances for this travesty, and has called on sentencing judges to take into account the impact of colonization: the attack on Indigenous culture, language, traditional practices; and the systemic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous peoples and communities, including lack of access to clean water, adequate housing, and medicine, mental health, education, and family supports. Furthermore, section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code, enacted 27 years ago, directs judges to consider all alternatives to prisons when sentencing Indigenous offenders. 

Yet neither Supreme Court judgements nor minor legislative amendments have had the desired effect, because the steps we have taken to address this grim injustice are either inadequate, or inadequately funded.

Section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code does not mandate judges to avoid prisons for Indigenous inmates under any circumstances. It merely states a sentencing principle, one of several, which is not given greater weight than any other principle of sentencing, such as deterrence or denunciation. The law is inadequate. We must change the law so that judges are required to impose non-custodial, non-colonial-prison sentences on Indigenous persons, except in the most rare circumstances. The discretion granted to trial judges in sentencing is a fundamental feature of our criminal justice system, but the evidence is clear that the status quo perpetuates a deepening injustice.

It is widely recognized that healing lodges are effective alternatives to prisons. Currently there are only 10 lodges across the entire country, too few to make a significant impact. Moreover, some residents live far from the communities to which they must return and reintegrate, after serving their sentence. Only about half of these lodges are Indigenous-run; the other half are run by Correctional Services Canada. Like so many other Indigenous-led services, these lodges are chronically underfunded. Without adequate investment in a sufficient number of healing lodges, Indigenous persons will continue to be trapped in the revolving door of colonial prisons.

The inadequacy of current law is demonstrated by the recent case of Angela Davidson (Rainbow Eyes), Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada and a member of the Da’naxda’xw First Nation. Ms. Davidson received a 51-days jail sentence after being found guilty of contempt of court for defying injunctions which prohibited her and others’ attendance on specific tracts of land. She had defied these court orders  in order to prevent old-growth logging in B.C.’s west coast. Despite having no criminal record, exemplary community leadership, and a family history of residential and Indian Day School trauma, she was incarcerated because the trial judge prioritized deterrence and denunciation over other sentencing factors, including her Indigenous background. The fact that this Indigenous woman with deep community standing posed no danger to others, committed non-violent offences in defense of the land, and that there is urgent need to reduce Indigenous incarceration, still could not keep her out of jail. The Appeal Courts, as well, refused to substitute a non-custodial sentence. This case illustrates that the current law, which places all principles of sentencing on equal footing, is ineffective at curbing the rate of incarceration of Indigenous persons, even when they are convicted for non-violent offences, where the underlying conduct was civil disobedience aimed at land protection.  Our laws must mandate that judges prioritize and impose non-custodial sentences for most Indigenous people.

Long-term, the most effective way of reducing over-incarceration is to address the underlying factors: intergenerational trauma from forced loss of language and culture, forced removal from land, residential school violence, racist laws, and missing and murdered Indigenous women, and child removal from Indigenous families, and from poverty, inadequate access to education and health resources, and discrimination in the criminal justice system. Yet, year-after-year, our governments announce program funding with great fanfare, and Indigenous leaders spend precious time and resources developing programs, only to see those funds not renewed the following year.

In order to give meaning and effect to Call to Action #30, all this must change.

This National Truth and Reconciliation Day, we must all demand that our governments do everything it takes to end the travesty of mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples.

Dyanoosh Youssefi, Justice Critic, Green Party of Canada Shadow Cabinet

 ¹See https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/jf-pf/2024/nov.html, for example

Mr. Juracán, a respected land defender and human rights advocate, was reportedly detained while en route to participate in a global conference on social movement learning in South Africa. His arrest, and the criminal charges against him—reportedly linked to his peaceful advocacy on behalf of Indigenous and campesino communities—represent an alarming violation of international human rights standards.

The Green Party of Canada strongly condemns the criminalization of land and human rights defenders in Guatemala. We stand in solidarity with Mr. Juracán and with all individuals and organizations working to uphold Indigenous rights, protect ancestral territories, and advocate for agrarian justice.

We call on the Government of Guatemala to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release Leocadio Juracán;
• Guarantee his safety and protection while legal proceedings are addressed;
• Implement the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur, including a moratorium on forced evictions and amnesty for criminalized land defenders;
• End the targeted persecution of Indigenous and campesino leaders and organizations.

Guatemala, as a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights treaties, has a clear obligation to protect the rights of its citizens, particularly those most at risk. Continued criminalization of peaceful human rights work undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in democratic institutions.

“The arrest of Leocadio Juracán is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those who defend land, people, and justice. His only ‘crime’ is standing with Indigenous and campesino communities in the struggle for dignity and rights. Canada must raise its voice, and the international community must act—because silence in the face of injustice is complicity” said Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich – Gulf Islands and Leader of the Green Party of Canada.

The Green Party of Canada stands firmly on the side of justice, dignity, and self-determination for all peoples. We urge the international community to monitor this case closely and to support efforts that protect human rights defenders globally.

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For media inquiries or to arrange an interview:

media@greenparty.ca

With a fragile ceasefire in place, Canada must reclaim its role as a leader for peace and renew its commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons. Just three decades ago, that vision felt within reach.

But in the years since, disastrous regime-change wars, justified by lies about weapons of mass destruction, have killed millions of civilians, undermined international cooperation, and emboldened oppressive regimes. These wars shattered momentum toward global disarmament and deepened global insecurity. The world is less safe today as a result.

The current crisis stems from deliberate political choices. Trump’s reckless withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal dismantled one of the most effective non-proliferation agreements in recent history and escalated regional tensions. In the years since, Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment and cracked down violently on dissent. Hamas has committed atrocities that violate international law. And Israel’s assault on Gaza has drawn international condemnation as genocide. These converging actions have brought us to a moment of profound danger.

The impunity of leaders like Trump and Netanyahu has been enabled by the failure of their allies, including Canada, to uphold international law and defend civilian lives.

It’s time for our government to step up. Canada has a legacy of championing international law. We were among the founding states of both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Criminal Court. We have also begun to reckon with our own complicity in the genocide of Indigenous Peoples. Canadians know better. Our leaders must do better.

We call on our government to:

• Condemn the recent military attacks by Israel, Iran, and the United States as violations of international law
• Commit to fully cooperating with the International Criminal Court, including executing arrest warrants issued for war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as the warrant against Netanyahu
• Sanction Israel for its covert nuclear weapons program and its internationally condemned occupation and assault on Gaza, which has been recognized as genocidal
• Use all available diplomatic and economic tools to pressure Iran to end human rights abuses and commit to free and fair elections
• Publicly oppose U.S. foreign policy shaped by Donald Trump’s dangerous disregard for international law

Together, they warned that Bill C-5 would undermine Indigenous rights, weaken environmental protections, and concentrate sweeping powers in the hands of Cabinet with little public oversight. The speakers called on the federal government to halt its plan to fast-track the legislation and instead allow for proper study, consultation, and democratic debate.

Watch the full press conference below.

The Green Party takes these allegations very seriously, and we are committed to upholding the values of respect and non-violence that define our Party. An internal investigation is currently underway to address this matter. Party efforts to reach Mr. Baldonado have been unsuccessful. We see that his account has been deleted. The Green Party’s position on violence and hatred is clear: we do not condone such rhetoric under any circumstances, and we will take appropriate action once the investigation is complete.

We remain focused on building a fairer, more inclusive society where such violence is never justified.