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Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a pan-Canadian grassroots advocacy non-profit organization established in Montreal, Quebec. It was established under a different name in 2002 in order to "empower Canadians of all backgrounds to promote justice, development and peace in the Middle East, and at home in Canada", and went on to adopt its current name in 2004. Specifically, it seeks to achieve these goals through the creation of a Palestinian state, as well as by encouraging Canadian citizens to ensure that their government lives up to what the CJPME see as its legal and moral responsibilities in upholding human rights and humanitarian law both in Canada and internationally. For example, in November 2011 it criticised the Canadian government for not condemning the Israeli government's plan to expand a number of its settlements, which are considered illegal under international law as interpreted by the International Court of Justice.

CJPME has issued multiple position papers on issues surrounding the Middle East and its diaspora. They have also issued factsheets pertaining to the causes the organization addresses. The organization’s most prominent causes include the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the Syrian Refugee crisis, the Saudi Arms Deal, and combatting religious intolerance and racism in all of its forms.

Mission and Values

CJPME’s mission is to “enable Canadians of all backgrounds to promote justice, development and peace in the Middle East, and here at home in Canada.”

CJPME’s bases its advocacy and work on the following set of beliefs:
 * 1) The belief that all positions should respect international law
 * 2) The belief that all parties in a conflict must be held to the same standard
 * 3) The belief that violence is not a solution

The values of the organization, according to the CJPME website, is to be welcoming to all, secular, empowering people, grassroots based, action oriented, excellence in everything, pro-active, professional, developing leadership, resourceful, informed, and non-partisan.

Position Papers The organization publishes position papers in an attempt to communicate with politicians. CJPME's recent position papers include:
 * Position Paper: Bill C-85 and the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement
 * Responding to Trump’s Israel-Palestine Debacle
 * Canada and Saudi Arabia: A Complex and Contradictory Relationship
 * Ottawa Should End Paradoxical Arms Deal With Saudis
 * Canada Should Follow Germany's Example and Halt Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
 * For a Constructive Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Situation
 * M-103 and Islamophobia in Canada – Poll from Nov. 2017

In October 2018, CJPME and the Canadian Muslim Forum collaboratively launched a campaign to advocate for the day of January 29 to be recognized as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia and other forms of religious intolerance. January 29 is the date of when the Quebec Mosque shooting occurred in 2017. Through the organizations, thousands of emails and postcards were sent to Canadian government officials.
 * 1) IRememberJan29

Accomplishments Throughout 2018, CJPME reported up to 100 direct meetings with various members of the Canadian Parliament. In November of 2018, the CJPME staff were invited to deliver a testimony for the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Bill C-47. CJPME argued against the selling of arms to governments that it referred to as "authoritarian."

Campus Groups Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East at Western In 2018, a group of students at Western University established a campus branch of the national organization. CJPME at Western also aims to enable Canadians of all backgrounds to promote justice, development and peace in the Middle East and within Canada.