CUPE Ontario's sponsorship of pro-Iranian protest raises eyebrows
"CUPE Ontario is not a foreign policy institute, it's a public service union," said retired Canadian diplomat Alan Kessel
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OTTAWA — CUPE Ontario’s sponsorship of a pro-Iranian demonstration in downtown Toronto this weekend has sparked alarm among some of their members.
The union is listed as a primary sponsor for this Sunday’s “Hands off Iran” protest, set for Sunday at the U.S. Consulate on University Ave.
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“In the past week, the Israeli occupation launched air strikes in Iran,” read a social media post by Palestinian Youth Movement Toronto — the far-left, radical, activist organization responsible for much of Toronto’s anti-Israel protests.
“We see this attack for what it is: a brazen attempt to escalate violence and undermine sovereignty in the region.”
The note refers to a series of strikes carried out by Israel, targeting Iran’s terrorist regime and its nuclear weapons program.
Iran’s theocratic government is responsible for funding both Hamas and Hezbollah’s terrorism against Israel, while Iran’s fledgling nuclear program represents a grave threat to much of the world.
CUPE National last year demanded CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn’s resignation after antisemitic social media posts.
“The National Executive Board has lost confidence in the ability of Fred Hahn to represent the national union as a general vice-president, and consequently calls for his resignation from this position,” read an Aug. 2024 memo to CUPE members.
Interestingly, CUPE Ontario has a history of speaking out against the Iranian government.
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A May 2013 report from CUPE Ontario’s international solidarity committee highlights a resolution adopted at the union’s May 2012 convention, condemning the persecution of labour activists by the Iranian government and the regime’s policy of outlawing organized labour.
“It is appalling that CUPE Ontario leadership’s hatred of Jews supersedes their support for the liberation of oppressed Iranians as they strike out at Israel, but remain silent over Iran’s terrorist regime,” said Kim Kazur, labour consultant for the Canadian Jewish Labour Committee.
“In over 40 worldwide conflicts, CUPE Ontario only chooses conflicts involving Israel. Their blatant antisemitism is disheartening to the majority of its members who are overlooked here in Ontario.”
Alan Kessel, a former Canadian diplomat and senior Macdonald-Laurier Institute fellow, told The Toronto Sun the union’s persistent preoccupation with Israel undermines public trust in labour unions, and normalizes extremism.
“CUPE Ontario is not a foreign policy institute, it’s a public service union,” he said.
“It’s core mandate is to represent and advocate for its members, the nurses, custodians and educational assistants — and not take sides in complex international conflicts.”
Kessel, whose career included legal advisor to Global Affairs Canada, several foreign diplomatic postings and an accomplished international litigator and negotiator, described Iran as the world’s largest purveyor of terrorism.
“When a Canadian union aligns itself with what I would consider a misogynistic, antisemitic and violently oppressive regime, it kind of tells you what you need to know about its moral compass,” he said.
“This is a betrayal of trust — it isn’t solidarity, it’s political theatre.”
“CUPE Ontario should refrain from undermining Canadian foreign policy and focus on the needs of its members.”
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