Council in Burnaby, B.C., calls for Israel arms embargo

Alison Gu holds a sign during a rally against anti-Asian racism organized by the Stand With Asians Coalition, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, May 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

BURNABY — The city council in Burnaby, B.C., has agreed to ask the federal government to impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel.

The motion, which drew cheers in the council chamber when it was passed unanimously on Tuesday night, also commits the city to signing an “apartheid-free” community pledge.

Coun. Alison Gu proposed the motion and told councillors in accompanying notes that residents of the Metro Vancouver community were “horrified” by Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza, calling them crimes against humanity.

The motion also calls for the transformation of a temporary resident program for Gazans to safely reunify Gazan-Canadian families.

Mayor Mike Hurley told the meeting it was hard to sit by as a human and watch what was unfolding in Gaza, saying “this conflict has to come to an end.”

He said before calling the vote that the council had always stood for human rights and dignity.

The council previously passed a motion in 2023 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the health ministry that is part of the Hamas-run government says almost 63,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s offensive.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

A staff member told Tuesday’s meeting that the City of Burnaby had no contracts with Israeli firms.

— With files by The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.