BDS in Toronto: what it is, what it does, and why we oppose it
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign seeks to isolate Israel, the world's only Jewish state, economically, academically, culturally and politically. The Toronto Coalition Against Racist Boycotts opposes BDS because it is discriminatory, antisemitic, and harmful to the Palestinians it claims to help. This site documents the record in Toronto and Canada, with a source for every factual claim.
Direct answers
- The main arguments against BDS, with the evidence for each
- A settlement boycott is narrower than BDS but not a peace strategy
- Canada's Parliament rejected BDS 229–51 on 22 February 2016
- BDS costs Palestinians jobs and cooperation rather than helping them
- In substance, BDS seeks one state in place of the Jewish state
- The University of Toronto rejects academic boycotts and BDS
- UTSU voted to divest in 2022; the University of Toronto did not
- BDS advocacy is lawful in Canada, and lawful is not the same as right
- BDS is antisemitic: it singles out the Jewish state for exclusion
- A court order ended the University of Toronto encampment in July 2024
- BDS is a campaign to isolate Israel, not a rights standard
- Organized groups, not spontaneous students, run BDS in Toronto
BDS in Toronto and Canada: the record
What Parliament, Ontario, the courts, and Toronto's universities have actually done and said.
- Key facts about BDS in Toronto and Canada
- Timeline: BDS in Toronto and Canada, 1945–2026
- Canada's Parliament rejected BDS 229–51 on 22 February 2016
- BDS advocacy is lawful in Canada, and lawful is not the same as right
- The University of Toronto rejects academic boycotts and BDS
- UTSU voted to divest in 2022; the University of Toronto did not
- A court order ended the University of Toronto encampment in July 2024
- Organized groups, not spontaneous students, run BDS in Toronto
What BDS is and what it wants
The demands, the leaders' stated goals, and the tactics.
Why BDS is discriminatory
Exclusion by nationality and identity; the singular standard applied to the Jewish state.
What BDS does to Palestinians
Jobs, healthcare, research, and cooperation lost to boycotts; the moderates it silences.
BDS on campus
Academic freedom, student life, and the climate for Jewish students at Toronto's universities.
Before your institution adopts BDS
Mission, legal exposure, fiduciary duty, governance, and the questions a board or union must answer.