As healthcare workers, we are horrified by the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

Since October 7th, 2023, more than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 5,500 children. More than 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza continue to be deprived of water, electricity, food and medical aid. 1.7 million Palestinians remain displaced by the recent escalation of violence. We acknowledge, however, that this recent escalation of violence is only a part of a 75-year long history of settler colonialism, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. 

In this recent escalation of violence, Israel has continued to attack hospitals, schools, religious institutions, residential areas, and refugee camps — this collective punishment is a clear violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.

In these attacks, our colleagues and their patients in Gaza have also been targeted. More than 77 healthcare facilities, including hospitals and clinics, have been attacked, with countless ambulances and healthcare transport vehicles also targeted. At least 210 healthcare staff have been killed, with more than 236 injuries among healthcare staff. Hundreds of patients and their family members have been killed.

The BC Nurses Union (BCNU) represents more than 48,000 nursing professionals in British Columbia. As members of this organization, which is headquartered on the stolen lands of the The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, we understand it is our responsibility to challenge settler colonial violence and to acknowledge the shared struggles between Indigenous communities on Turtle Island and Palestinians against this violence. 

On October 13th, the BCNU issued a statement calling for “all parties to the conflict in Israel and Gaza to respect their legal obligations under international humanitarian law” and for an “immediate cessation of any acts that risk the lives of civilians or health workers,” but has fallen short of calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza.

The BCNU must call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza. The BCNU must join the call of Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans frontières) Canada, who, in an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The BCNU must join the call of our healthcare colleagues in Palestine and of other coalitions across Turtle Island, including over 150 labour, faith and civil society organizations and councils across Canada demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza (ceasefirenow.ca).  

In addition to a call for immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza, we call on the BCNU to advocate for and champion calls to divest investments from organizations who are supporting attacks on Palestinians. 

The British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), which provides investment management services for pension plans offered to BCNU members, has invested in numerous military contractors, weapons research and development organizations, and arms suppliers, all of whom continue to support the structural violence seen in Gaza and internationally. As of March 31st, 2023, the BCI has invested more than 17.42 million dollars in Raytheon Technologies, 13.47 million dollars in Lockheed Martin, and 1.13 million dollars in BAE Systems.

Our demands are reflective of BCNU’s own values and mission. We call on the BCNU to demonstrate its own commitment to excellence, social justice, and solidarity by supporting our calls to action. 

Therefore, we, the undersigned — passionate nurses, healthcare professionals, students, and driven community members — come together to stand in solidarity with Palestine and to call on the BCNU to:

• Call for a ceasefire and demand an end to the siege on Gaza.
• Call for divestment and support divestment campaigns, particularly in relation to investments made by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) to military contractors, weapons research and development organizations, and arms suppliers.