Delegates to the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) annual general meeting approved a motion on March 16 supporting the anti-Israel BDS movement, the first provincewide endorsement of its kind within the union.
The measure, introduced by multiple local chapters, passed during the union’s 2026 gathering.
During the debate, Palestinian teacher Khaled Shawwash said, “I envision 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,” he said.
Attendees displayed slogans such as “BDS Saves Lives” and “BDS Saves Kids.”
Mika Hackner, director of research at the North American Values Institute, told JNS that the measure makes it difficult for students to form their own opinions.
“How can we expect the classroom to be a place where children are free to express their opinions, to change their minds, to think critically and arrive at their own conclusions on complex issues, when our teachers’ unions telegraph their political stances, particularly on controversial issues,” she said.
“Opining on world affairs is not the job of a teachers’ union,” she added. “In doing so, they erode public trust and cheapen their own profession.”
