As Canadian Muslims face mounting challenges — from rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, to the erosion of civil liberties, to Canada’s complicity in a ‘plausible Genocide’ — CMPAC reviewed the 2025 federal election platforms of the Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats, Green Party, and the Bloc Québécois. Our analysis focuses on three urgent priorities: advancing Palestinian rights in the context of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, confronting Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and ensuring Canada upholds its obligations under international law. This commentary identifies where parties have taken meaningful positions and where critical gaps remain. CMPAC calls on Canadian Muslims and their allies to scrutinize party platforms carefully, advocate for rights in Palestine and Canada, and vote according to principles of justice and equality.
1. The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)
Platform Silence on Palestine and Gaza: The Conservative platform makes no reference — direct or indirect — to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. This omission is not neutral; it is a deliberate refusal to recognize or confront one of the gravest human rights crises of our time. The platform’s silence is especially damning when contrasted with its robust pledges elsewhere: under the section Stand Up to Hostile Regimes, the Conservatives vow to “strongly support Ukraine’s war to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion,” to transfer “$22 billion in frozen Russian assets” to Ukraine, and to “always recognize the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine’s territory.” The blatant absence of similar commitments to Palestinians facing military occupation, apartheid, and genocide lays bare a profound double standard — revealing whose lives and sovereignty are deemed worthy of protection, and whose are not.
International Law and Hostile Regimes: The CPC platform frames foreign policy around standing up to “hostile regimes,” explicitly targeting Russia and Iran, and promising asset seizures, diplomatic expulsions, and support for political dissidents. They declare they will “stand up against the tyrannical regime in Tehran” and “support the political freedoms” of Iranians. Yet there is no mention of Israel’s decades-long illegal occupation, its system of apartheid as recognized by human rights organizations globally, or the ongoing mass atrocities against Palestinians. Moreover, instead of upholding a principled defense of international law and multilateral UN agencies, the Conservatives promise to “defund international institutions like UNRWA” — a lifeline for Palestinian refugees — further punishing the very victims of occupation and war crimes. In shielding Israel from accountability, the platform exposes the political selectivity at the heart of its so-called human rights commitments.
Anti-Hate, Islamophobia & APR: The platform proposes the creation of an “Anti-Hate Crime Task Force” to protect religious and cultural communities, explicitly including Muslims. However, it entirely ignores the reality of Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR), which, while distinct from Islamophobia, increasingly intersects with it. Palestinians — and Muslims who express solidarity with Palestine — face heightened vilification in media, politics, and public discourse. This growing APR climate intensifies systemic Islamophobia by portraying Muslim communities as threats, undermining their safety, freedoms, and rights.Furthermore, the platform’s framing of “Woke ideology” and plans to end its “imposition” in government and research settings risks undermining anti-racist and equity-based initiatives that confront both Islamophobia and APR. Without addressing the intersection and mutual reinforcement of these forms of discrimination, the Conservatives’ claims to protect Muslim communities remain hollow and incomplete.
Conclusion on CPC: The Conservative platform advances a narrow and deeply politicized vision of human rights. It demands justice for some populations while denying even basic recognition to others, like Palestinians facing apartheid and genocide. Its commitment to “standing up to hostile regimes” is selective, excluding Israel’s unlawful occupation and apartheid policies, and even targeting international organizations like UNRWA that serve Palestinian refugees. In doing so, it exposes a disturbing willingness to prioritize politics over principles — eroding Canada’s credibility as a defender of international law, human rights, and equal dignity for all.
2. The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC)
Palestine/Gaza and International Law: The The Liberal platform makes no mention of Canada’s responsibilities under international law in the face of Israel’s genocide in Gaza or the broader context of Palestinian oppression and occupation. This silence is glaring, especially as the platform celebrates Canada’s history of drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and founding UN peacekeeping.
Worse, this silence echoes the Liberal government’s past actions to obstruct accountability for Israeli war crimes. In 2021, Canada publicly opposed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Palestine, arguing that the Court had “no jurisdiction” and that Palestine could not bring a case. Rather than supporting international mechanisms of justice, as Canada has done in cases like Ukraine , the Liberal government worked to shield Israel from legal scrutiny, undermining the very human rights principles they claim to defend.
While the platform pledges to “defend peace and stability” by vigorously supporting Ukraine, including seizing $22 billion in Russian assets and promising to rebuild Ukraine, it offers no comparable commitment to Palestinians facing military occupation, apartheid, and mass atrocities. This selective application of human rights reveals a profound double standard at the heart of Liberal foreign policy.
Islamophobia and Anti-Racism: The platform expresses concern about Islamophobia alongside antisemitism and other forms of hate, proposing measures to protect places of worship and community centres. However, it fails to mention anti-Palestinian racism (APR), which, although distinct from Islamophobia, increasingly feeds into it. APR has become one of the most normalized and rapidly growing forms of discrimination in Canada, often targeting Muslims who advocate for Palestinian rights. Amid widespread crackdowns on Palestinian advocacy, student movements, and public protests, the Liberals’ silence on APR is glaring. By failing to confront both Islamophobia and APR together — while respecting their distinct but interconnected dynamics — the government’s promises to fight hate remain superficial and incomplete.
International Engagement and Humanitarian Assistance: The Liberal platform’s foreign policy remains vague, emphasizing multilateralism, trade expansion, and climate diplomacy, but offering little in the way of clear commitments to human rights benchmarks. This status-quo approach risks enabling impunity abroad, particularly when it comes to close allies like Israel, by prioritizing economic and diplomatic interests over consistent human rights advocacy.
While the platform boasts of maintaining Canada’s international humanitarian assistance at no less than $800 million annually to “support the poorest and most vulnerable,” the reality tells a different story. As famine, forced displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure devastate Gaza, the Liberals have remained complicit: continuing arms exports to Israel, suspending humanitarian funding to UNRWA based on discredited allegations, and providing diplomatic cover for Israeli war crimes. Their proclaimed commitment to humanitarianism collapses under scrutiny, revealing a deeply politicized approach that fails the very international standards they claim to champion.
Conclusion on LPC: The Liberal platform projects a selective, politically convenient vision of human rights — one that champions the rights of some oppressed peoples while erasing the suffering of others. Its silence on Gaza, complicity in Israel’s violations of international law, and refusal to confront anti-Palestinian racism betray a profound failure to uphold Canada’s stated values. The result is a foreign policy that prioritizes political alliances over the universality of human rights and the dignity of all peoples.
3. The New Democratic Party (NDP)
Palestine/Gaza: The federal NDP platform takes a clear and principled stance on Palestine. A significant commitment is the recognition of the State of Palestine, consistent with Canada’s historical support for a two-state solution: “We would join the increasing number of countries that recognize the State of Palestine. This is a concrete step towards peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis, consistent with Canada’s traditional support for a two-state solution.”
In addition to this, the NDP explicitly condemns the actions of the Netanyahu regime, committing to impose sanctions on key figures responsible for violence, genocide, and annexation: “We will impose sanctions on key figures in the Netanyahu regime who have incited violence, genocide, and annexation.” The platform also calls for the immediate implementation of a two-way arms embargo on Israel, emphasizing a stronger position on international accountability and human rights: “We will immediately impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and close loopholes that allow military and goods and technology to be exported to countries that abuse human rights.”
The two-way arms embargo and the commitment to sanction key Israeli officials align with the growing call for accountability in the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel’s broader disregard for international law. CMPAC applauds these commitments and encourages the federal NDP to continue advocating for these positions as part of a broader foreign policy framework that seeks justice and peace for Palestinians.
International Law and Humanitarian Assistance: The NDP platform takes a principled approach to foreign policy, emphasizing multilateralism, solidarity, and respect for human rights. It includes pledges to boost international aid funding to 0.7% of Canada’s Gross National Income, demonstrating a strong commitment to global humanitarian efforts. Additionally, the NDP supports international justice institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and it promises to apply sanctions consistently to human rights violators: “We will ensure Canada’s sanctions are applied consistently to all major human rights violators.”
The NDP’s stance on arms control and international justice is critical, particularly as it extends to Israel’s actions and the broader geopolitical context in the Middle East. CMPAC encourages the NDP to further emphasize the application of international law in the context of Israel’s violations, and to consider the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza as part of its foreign policy commitments.
Conclusion on NDP: The NDP federal platform stands out for its strong commitment to Palestinian rights and international justice, particularly through its recognition of the State of Palestine, support for a two-state solution, and a clear position on implementing a two-way arms embargo on Israel. CMPAC supports these positions and encourages the NDP to continue advocating for accountability in the face of Israel’s violations of international law. Additionally, as the political and social climate surrounding Palestinian advocacy continues to evolve, CMPAC urges the NDP to ensure the protection of civil liberties for those who stand in solidarity with Palestinian rights, including students, workers, and charitable organizations.
4. Green Party
Palestine/Gaza and International Law: The Green Party platform takes a principled stand on Palestinian rights. It explicitly commits to recognizing the State of Palestine and advocating for its full UN membership, affirming Canada’s obligations under international law and multilateral diplomacy: “Recognize the State of Palestine and advocate for its full UN membership, aligning with Canada’s commitment to international law and multilateral diplomacy.” This marks a meaningful departure from the silence or obstructionism seen in the Conservative and Liberal platforms. By recognizing Palestinian statehood, the Greens demonstrate a concrete commitment to human rights, self-determination, and international legal norms. Additionally, the Green platform opposes arms exports to regimes that violate human rights and commits to ending Canadian arms sales to human rights abusers — a policy that, if consistently applied, would end Canadian complicity in Israeli war crimes.
Islamophobia and Anti-Palestinian Racism: The Green Party platform addresses systemic hate through a broader commitment to dismantling hate and defending rights. It pledges to expand human rights protections at the federal level and to combat online hate and disinformation, including foreign-funded disinformation campaigns. The platform also proposes mandating transparency in media ownership, a move that could help counter anti-Palestinian narratives often amplified through biased media ecosystems. Additionally, it commits to increasing funding for anti-hate programs and supporting civil society organizations that challenge systemic racism. However, the platform does not explicitly address Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism (APR) as distinct forms of hate. This omission is significant, particularly given the urgent need for federal leadership in tackling the rise of Islamophobia and systemic discrimination against Palestinians in Canada.
International Engagement and Humanitarian Assistance: The Green Party adopts a strong multilateralist approach and pledges to re-engage in the UN system and increase funding for humanitarian efforts. Their platform emphasizes support for international law and conflict prevention, including ending arms sales to human rights abusers. These commitments suggest a principled vision for Canada’s role on the world stage — one centered on human rights, humanitarian aid, and respect for international law.
Conclusion on GP: The Green Party’s federal platform reflects a principled commitment to human rights, international law, and multilateral diplomacy. Its recognition of Palestinian statehood is an important step toward justice. Its broader commitments to human rights, disarmament, and humanitarian engagement align with international norms. CMPAC commends the Green Party’s important steps toward Palestinian justice and urges them to go further in confronting the realities of systemic racism and mass atrocities faced by Palestinians — both at home and abroad.
Palestine/Gaza and International Law: The Bloc Québécois 2025 platform makes no reference to Palestine, Gaza, or the ongoing genocide, apartheid, or occupation of Palestinian territories. There is zero mention of the urgent humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza or of Palestinian human rights, sovereignty, or self-determination.
While the Bloc platform speaks generally about “building ties with stateless nations and non-sovereign peoples” and reaffirms support for the “right to self-determination as an inalienable principle of international law,” it does not apply this principle concretely to Palestinians — one of the most prominent stateless and oppressed peoples today. This omission is significant. It reveals a selective application of the Bloc’s stated commitment to self-determination and international law — embracing Quebec’s national aspirations but ignoring Palestinian suffering and claims for statehood and rights.
Islamophobia and Anti-Palestinian Racism: The Bloc Québécois platform addresses questions of secularism and identity in ways that raise serious concerns about systemic Islamophobia, rather than confronting it. The Bloc demands the abolition of the federal Special Representative on Islamophobia, advocates for banning religious symbols for federal employees in positions of authority in Quebec (supporting Quebec’s Law 21), proposes excluding Quebec from Canadian multiculturalism policies in favor of a “secular” integration model, and seeks regulation of public prayer spaces in federal buildings like airports. While framed under the banner of “secularism,” these policies disproportionately target Muslim communities and reinforce systemic Islamophobia under the guise of defending “laïcité” (secularism).
By proposing the dismantling of institutional protections against Islamophobia while remaining silent on the rise of anti-Palestinian racism (APR), the Bloc platform risks deepening discrimination against both Muslims and Palestinians in Quebec and across Canada. The Bloc’s silence on APR is particularly troubling at a time when Palestinian voices, including Muslim Palestinians, are increasingly being silenced in Canadian public life. CMPAC strongly condemns the Bloc’s proposals, which threaten to exacerbate Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.
International Engagement and Humanitarian Assistance: The Bloc platform calls for strengthened international aid, including supporting a target of 0.7% of GNI for international assistance, prioritizing education, health, climate adaptation, and poverty reduction abroad, and compensating for cuts to global institutions like the WHO and UNESCO. While these commitments are positive in principle, the platform makes no direct mention of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza — despite mass starvation, forced displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Without a commitment to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of Palestinians, the Bloc’s otherwise broad humanitarian pledges remain incomplete and inconsistent. CMPAC urges the Bloc to extend its humanitarian commitments to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including restoring and expanding funding to UNRWA and explicitly supporting humanitarian access to besieged populations.
Conclusion on BQ: The Bloc Québécois platform champions Quebec’s self-determination while overlooking the rights and struggles of other stateless peoples, including Palestinians. Its silence on Palestine and the dire situation in Gaza reflects a selective and inconsistent approach to international law and human rights. The Bloc’s policies on secularism risk further entrenching Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, failing to address these critical issues head-on. While the Bloc’s commitment to international aid is generally positive, its lack of focus on Gaza’s devastation underscores a significant gap in its humanitarian priorities. CMPAC urges the Bloc to reconsider its stance and extend its support to Palestinian rights and urgent needs.
Conclusion
Throughout this election cycle, CMPAC and MuslimsVote.ca have emphasized the importance of engaging with the policies and platforms of all political parties, rather than endorsing a single party. Our focus is clear: advocating for policies that recognize and address the genocide being committed against Palestinians in Gaza, the urgent need for Palestinian statehood, and reversing Canada’s complicity in this ongoing atrocity.
By engaging with candidates and their platforms, we aim to ensure that these principles are reflected in the decisions made by those who will represent us. Our goal is not to endorse one party over another, but to hold all political leaders accountable to the needs of our community. To this end, we are committed to securing specific, actionable commitments from political leaders on the issues that matter most to the Muslim community.
The way forward lies in informed voting, where individuals can align their choices with the policies that best represent their values. Together, we can amplify the political impact of the Muslim community and ensure that our voices are not only heard but acted upon. We will continue to advocate for these principled positions and just causes beyond the elections.
For more information and to get involved, visit www.MuslimsVote.ca.
