'Vote Palestine' campaign sees minimal success rate on election night
Only 25 of the 362 candidates who signed the 'Vote Palestine' platform pledge were elected on Monday
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Apr 30, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 2 minute read
OTTAWA — From the river to the see-you-later.
Efforts to rally anti-Israel candidates into a pro-Palestine voting block failed miserably on Monday, after only 25 of the 362 candidates who signed the “Vote Palestine” platform pledge were elected.
That represents a 93% failure rate.
Candidates who signed the pledge agreed with a number of controversial platform points, including a two-way arms embargo on Israel, ending Canadian support for Israeli settlements, and recognition of the state of Palestine.
Candidates also must endorse UNRWA as a legitimate humanitarian presence in the area — an organization with long-standing links to Palestinian terror organizations like Hamas.
Last year, Canada was one of 16 nations who followed suit with the United States in pausing their UNRWA funding after these links were made public.
The previous Trudeau government resumed funding just months later, in time to fulfill a $25-million installment of that year’s $100-million pledge to UNRWA.
Of the 362 candidates who signed the pledge, 216 were members of the NDP, 116 were from the Green Party, 28 were Liberals, and two ran for the Bloc Quebecois.
Only six NDP signatories won a seat, while 18 were Liberal.
The only Green party signatory to win a seat was party leader Elizabeth May — Jonathan Pedneault, who also signed the pledge, failed to win a seat on Monday and has resigned as Green party co-leader.
A number of prominent anti-Israel MPs were voted out of office on Monday, including Niki Ashton, Blake Desjarlais, Matthew Green and Joel Harden.
Other incumbent signatories who lost their seat include former NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Laurel Collins (NDP, Victoria,) Peter Julien (NDP, New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville,) Alistair MacGregor (NDP, Cowichan-Malahat-Langford,) Leila Dance (NDP, Elmwood-Transcona,) Brian Masse (NDP, Windsor West,) Lindsay Mathyssen (NDP, London-Fanshawe,) Mike Morrice (Green, Kitchener Centre,) and Bonita Zarrillo (NDP, Port Moody-Coquitlam).
Mike Fegelman, executive director of HonestReporting Canada, attributed voters’ frustration over continued anti-Israel extremism that’s resulted in snarled traffic and persistent — and sometimes violent — protests at Jewish schools, communities and places of worship.
“The complete failure of the ‘Vote Palestine’ candidates to get elected is a microcosm of their larger movement: Indisputably loud, but ultimately representing a small and radical fringe of Canadian society,” Fegelman told the Toronto Sun.
“Canadians are clearly sick and tired of the incessant extremism coming from the pro-Palestinian movement, and overwhelmingly turfed their candidates in Monday’s federal election.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
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Efforts to rally anti-Israel candidates into a pro-Palestine voting block failed miserably on Monday.
torontosun.com