On November 29, 2024 – even before his inauguration – President-elect Donald Trump ruminated publicly at a dinner with Canada’s then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the United States taking over Canada. The comment was passed off as a joke.
By the beginning of February, as Trump continued to propose this idea, it was clear that he was not joking and that the threat could be serious.
In response, Premier David Eby banned all American liquor from government liquor stores.
The situation in Gaza in now dire. As of July 28th 2025, Israel has:
- Killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded a further almost 145,000, according to Israeli-Palestinian human rights group B’Tselem which now calls Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. Many have noted that the death toll is likely substantially higher.
- Caused such extreme and widespread malnutrition that Palestinians are literally starving to death. A reported 147 individuals, including 88 children, have died from starvation.
- Caused 470,000 people to endure famine-like conditions, and 90,000 women and children need urgent nutrition treatment, according to the World Food Program. One million people in total are facing emergency levels of food insecurity.
- Killed over 1,000 people and injured 7,000 others while they were trying to get food for their families – most by Israeli military, according to the United Nations reports.
- Destroyed over half of the hospitals and one third of primary health centres are even partially functional.
- Destroyed or damaged 92% of housing units.
- Caused 93% of households to experience water insecurity.
Premier David Eby adamantly refuses to ban Israeli liquor from government liquor stores.
Should we take action?
In the 1980s, despite significant moves by the Canadian government to oppose apartheid in South Africa, the B.C. government under Premier Bill Vander Zalm refused to remove South African liquor from government liquor stores – making B.C. was the only province in Canada that refused to de-list South African wines.
The public, with major support from B.C. unions, took action. Union members refused to handle South African goods, including South African wines. There were pickets around ships delivering cargo from South Africa. Unions actively lobbied governments and policy makers and undertook public education.
Folks like you and I who opposed apartheid also took action. Boycotts sprang up as more and more individuals refused to buy South African products. We participated in protests, events, and public rallies. We undertook direct actions that targeted the sale of South African wines, including openly taking South African liquor off the shelf and breaking it.
There is no excuse – none – for B.C. Premier David Eby to refuse to take this most minor of actions and ban Israeli liquor from government liquor stores.
It is also time for us to take a page out of the anti-apartheid playbook and boycott all Israeli products until their apartheid mistreatment and starvation of residents in Gaza is brought to a complete, humanitarian end.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (July 30, 2025): 426.76ppm
One year ago (July 29, 2024): 425.21ppm
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