Open Letter to MP Rechie Valdez

Open Letter to MP Rechie Valdez

To the Honourable Minister Rechie Valdez,

We, the undersigned Filipinos who reside in Canada, thank you for taking a principled stance by calling for a ceasefire on December 12, 2023.

We also thank you for meeting with MP Salma Zahid and MP Shafqat Ali to learn about their recent trip to the West Bank.

We commend the accompanying statement you made about your meeting with MP Zahid and MP Ali, published on February 16, 2024, on social media — “the situation in Rafah is deeply concerning and we all agree that civilians must be protected.”

We too are anxious about the situation of civilians in Rafah.

On March 18th, you will have another opportunity to put your words into action. We are asking you to vote in favour of the NDP Opposition Motion to:

Demand a suspension of all trade in military goods with Israel

Permit unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza

Allow all family reunification applicants from Gaza

We firmly believe that ending the arms trade with Israel is a concrete step that Canada can and must take toward the fulfillment of a genuine ceasefire.

Canada is a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Arms Trades Treaty. With the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice that there are plausible causes for genocidal acts by Israel, UN experts say that arms exports to Israel may be a violation of international humanitarian laws. Arms embargo is therefore not only an ethical decision, but a legal one.

While we count on you as our elected representative to be on the right side of history, we, as concerned Filipino voters in Canada, vow to keep educating the Filipino community on Canada’s complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

We endeavor to continue organizing until an arms embargo on Israel is achieved.

We believe you can do the same.

Palayain ang Palestine! Free Palestine!

Yours Sincerely,

Filipino Canadian voters, community members, business owners, workers, artists, organizers, and community leaders