This campaign has been initiated by the Canada Palestine Association (CPA), in solidarity with the call from Palestinian civil society to support boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against entities complicit in the occupation and oppression of of the Palestinian people. The following information is taken from the CPA’s website.
Call from BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Committee to Boycott Air Canada
Article about the Air Canada Boycott on Mondoweiss.net
Please sign our petition and share widely.
(Since we sent our original letters to Air Canada, we recently found out Air Canada also has maintenance agreements with Israel Aerospace Industries IAI, which is wholly owned by the government of Israel. The IAI company website states: “Over the past 60 years IAI delivered, supplied and supported advanced systems for the Israeli Ministry of Defense.” More info on IAI and its drone production at the end of the post.)
Yet another compelling reason to boycott Air Canada.
Download the new Fact Sheet
Dear Friends:
In the last month, we have communicated twice with Air Canada officials regarding their unethical behaviour in serving Israeli products on their flights. They have refused to answer us and left us with no choice but to launch a campaign to inform people of their policies. There are two products in question – one is Sabra Hummus which is listed in Air Canada’s on-board menu and prominently featured on the last page of the Air Canada cafe menu.
Sabra Hummus has already been an issue of controversy on university campuses in the U.S. and Canada because of the deplorable human rights record of one of its partner companies, Strauss Group. Strauss is the second largest Israeli food and beverage company and is known for supporting two Israeli military units implicated in human rights abuses, the Golani and Givati brigades.
The other product in question is Eden Springs water that comes from an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. Air Canada refuses to confirm or deny if they are still handling this product which they did serve in the past.
We ask all supporters of Palestinian rights, both here in Canada and globally, to publicize and implement this call for a boycott of Air Canada until they respect the call of Palestinian civil society. Help us to send the message that Palestinian rights and lives matter and Israeli government abuses of international law will not be rewarded!
Please tell Air Canada to stop their complicity with Israeli war crimes and make them aware that you are not “on-board” with supporting human rights violations.
BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Committee
Ways to contact Air Canada:
Email Air Canada CEO – calin.rovinescu@aircanada.ca
Air Canada Customer Relations – Webmail
Or Fax: 1-866-584-0380
Or Mail: PO Box 64239,
RPO Thorncliffe – Calgary, AB
Canada T2K 6J
Letters sent to Air Canada
Please join Facebook Group
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Here are some further background notes about Israel Aerospace Industries IAI, the company that Air Canada chose for “outsourcing” some of its maintenance work. IAI is the subject of boycotts across Europe, in particular, and is well-known for its drone technology and production. It is truly shameful that Air Canada is doing business with this Israeli government-owned military defense company that is directly responsible for the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Finally, and not surprisingly, Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada’s CEO, was part of PM Stephen Harper’s delegation to Israel early last year.
Israel Aerospace Industries IAI and Israel’s drone wars
(according to Corporate Watch)
“IAI was one of the earliest developers of drone technology and launched its first surveillance drone, the IAI Scout, in 1979. Since then the company has launched a number of drone models (see below). Drone development is handled by IAIs MALAT divisions. IAI writes on its website of its drones’ “unsurpassed track record of over 1,200,000 operational flight hours for over 50 users on five continents”. According to Drone Wars UK, IAI has exported their UAVs, sometimes through joint venture agreements, to various European countries as well as South America, Australia, Canada and India and the company has a growing market in Africa.
Most of IAI’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) are surveillance drones, but the Heron 1 and Heron TP both have strike capabilities and have been used in Gaza. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW),i the Heron can fly up to 40 hours and can carry four Spike missiles. It is also used for surveillance and to identify targets on the ground.”