The flags of Canada and Israel. Photo: The Globe and Mail.
Israel has attempted to influence Canadian legislation and public opinion, while labeling pro-Palestine protests in the country as antisemitic
Israel has attempted to influence Canadian legislation and public opinion, while labeling pro-Palestine protests in the country as antisemitic
The report, titled “Israeli Foreign Influence, Intervention, and Transnational Repression in Canada,” detailed several examples of covert Israeli campaigns meant to influence Canadian public opinion and legislation and to limit free speech.
The report urges Ottawa to acknowledge Israel as a threat actor in terms of foreign interference and hold its proxies accountable for their activities targeting Canadians.
“Until now, Canada’s public debates on foreign influence have conspicuously excluded any discussion of Israel, despite its documented pattern of engaging in covert influence, deception, and racist disinformation,” said Michael Bueckert, vice president of CJPME and lead author of the report.
“Canada must finally acknowledge Israel as a threat actor, end the double standard, and take action to counter its illegitimate actions within our borders.”
The report provides several examples in which the Israeli state hired Canadian individuals or businesses as proxies to hide its role in influence activities.
In one case, the Israeli government covertly funded opinion polls to manipulate Canadian public opinion on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza starting in October 2023.
Israel paid the Toronto public relations firm Aurora Strategies Global to conduct the poll, which “used biased language to sway results in support of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza,” without disclosing that it was on behalf of the Israeli consulate.
We just published a new report raising the alarm about the foreign influence activities of the Israeli government, which has been engaging in deception and covert ops to intervene in Canadian public affairs.
The report, titled “Israeli Foreign Influence, Intervention, and… pic.twitter.com/Bqnc7KuY3y
— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) May 13, 2026
The Israeli government also used Canadian entities as proxies to fund all-expense-paid trips to Israel for Canadian politicians, journalists, and other influential figures.
“The lack of transparency around these delegations is a major issue, as the entire purpose … is to build support for Israel and influence Canadian politics,” the report said.
Israel also hired a marketing firm in Tel Aviv to create fake English-language websites and social media accounts powered by ChatGPT to spread racist and pro-Israel messages.
The Canadian government acknowledged that the fake platforms were considered interference but took no measures to hold Israel accountable.
The CJPME’s report described “a campaign of transnational repression,” including the surveillance, profiling, and doxxing of activists in Canada who criticize Israel.
The report highlighted the use of Israeli spyware to target Palestine Solidarity activists in Canada, as deployed by various governments worldwide, including the Canadian police services. Examples of spyware include NSO Group’s Pegasus, Cytrox’s Predator, and Paragon Solutions’ Graphite.
CJPME also highlighted Israel’s efforts to portray protests advocating for Palestine and against Israel’s genocide as “antisemitism.”
In March 2026, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sought an emergency injunction to ban a major pro-Palestine protest in Toronto against Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem. Ford announced the move one day after meeting with Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed and Consul General Idit Shamir, who urged the government to take “concrete action” against what they referred to as antisemitism.
The report concluded by recommending that Canadian authorities take action to counter the covert influence campaigns.
“Canadian authorities have many tools available to them to fight foreign interference, from the expulsion of diplomats to sanctions on those who spread disinformation. Canada must apply these tools to Israel as it would with any other country found to be engaging in these activities,” said Yara Shoufani, CJPME president.
