BC teachers' union endorses BDS movement in support of Palestine

VANCOUVER — Delegates at the British Columbia Teachers' Federation's 2026 Annual General Meeting voted Monday to adopt a motion in support of Palestine, which was submitted by 10 local unions representing a significant portion of the province's public school teachers.It's not exactly clear what the motion means aside from the Monday press release, which calls it "a motion in support of the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement in solidarity with Palestine."The decision follows the federation's previous actions on Palestinian human rights, including a $50,000 donation to UNRWA and endorsement of an arms embargo campaign.During debate, "Palestinian educator" Khaled Shawwash spoke in favor of the motion, envisioning "a universe in which children of all faiths — including Muslim, Jewish, Christian — can laugh and play along the shore of Gaza, underneath not the deafening hum of drones, but the songs of the Palestinian sunbirds.""Sadly, this is not the universe we are in, but it is one that we can help make possible," Shawwash said.Former BC Conservative leader John Rustad struck a different tune, saying "this is completely out of control.""The BC Teachers’ Federation is supposed to represent teachers and support education in British Columbia," Rustad wrote in a Wednesday X post, "not pass motions on foreign political movements and push activist campaigns that have nothing to do with our kids’ success in the classroom.".Current BC Conservative leadership candidate Peter Milobar went one step further saying, “At a time that Jewish students and families are increasingly and legitimately feeling unsafe at school, this resolution does the exact opposite of what is supposed to happen in our schools.”.The BCTF represents more than 50,000 teachers in British Columbia's public schools.No immediate details on implementation or next steps were outlined in the release.

BC teachers' union endorses BDS movement in support of Palestine

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