In Canada, the Ontario branch of the country's biggest labor union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, voted unanimously May 27 at its annual convention to urge an economic boycott of Israel. The resolution passed by CUPE Ontario — whose 210,000 members account for nearly half of Canada's entire national membership — called for divestment, which translates into withdrawing the union's pension fund investments in Israel.

In Canada, the Ontario union's actions sent shockwaves through the leadership of the Jewish community. "Now they're looking at divestment, and undoubtedly they'll link up with the academics," said Frank Dimant, executive vice president of B'nai Brith Canada. "We're going to have this coalition of anti-Israel, which we thought had gone into the recesses and is coming back to the fore," he said.