“The Fonds de solidarité FTQ is the largest development capital investment network in Québec. By using workers’ savings to support businesses in all regions and activity sectors and encouraging retirement savings, the Fonds has become a key stakeholder in Québec society.” The The Fonds de solidarité FTQ mission “ is to contribute to Québec’s socio-economic growth, for the benefit of the workers and businesses alike.”

That said, Fonds de solidarité FT has $4.5 million invested in Motorola, a company the UN has indicated are supportive of war crimes, and an additional almost $130 in companies that AFSC Investigate has deemed as associated with occupation, and thus complicit with war crimes. These include weapons/military equipment and surveillance companies as well as others that sustain the illegal military occupation of Palestine by Israel. Companies such as Chevron, Cisco, Exxon, HP, Raytheon, and others, as well as the transnational engineering company headquartered in Montreal, WSP Global are included in the investment portfolio. WSP is the long time manager of the Jerusalem Light Rail project. Al Haq and Just Peace Advocates have made a submission in 2022 to have WSP added to the UN list, and this was updated in June 2024 when the UN called for companies to add to the UN list.

In total The Fonds de solidarité FTQ has over $130 million invested in war crimes with some of those funds complicit with genocide.

This was brought to your attention several months ago, but no response has been received. We ask if you can provide a commitment that you will immediately divest for the companies included on the UN and AFSC Investigate lists as companies complicit with war crimes.

We remind you that in Canada, parties that are complicit in war crimes are liable to criminal prosecution under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, including corporations.

We further remind you that, ever since the Quebec Superior Court’s decision in Bil’in (Village Council) v. Green Park International Inc., it is also possible for a corporation to be held liable in a civil lawsuit in Canadian courts for complicity in a war crime. Although the Bil’in case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, Canadian courts in recent years have shown increasing willingness to assert jurisdiction over the overseas activities of Canadian companies where violations of human rights and international law are concerned,and it is far from certain that the same result would be obtained now.

In late 2023, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians – Canada (“ICJP – Canada”) has provided the Government of Canada with notice of intent to seek the prosecution of Canadian officials who are allegedly complicit in Israel’s war crimes. ICJP Canada is also considering expanding the scope of its initiative to pursue accountability of Canadian companies who are allegedly complicit in Israel’s war crimes. Like Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court applies to both state actors and private individuals. The latter makes it an offence to, “aid, abet or otherwise assist,” in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Since then, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion ruling has deemed the Israeli long-standing occupation illegal and indicated that steps need to be taken to end it completely and “as rapidly as possible.” It also indicated that states and international organizations, including the U.N., have specific responsibilities to refrain from aiding the occupation or recognizing Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as anything but unlawful.

We ask you to take immediate steps to divest from those companies at are complicit with war crimes, and put processes in place to ensure no future investment with companies complicit with war crimes and genocide.

CSAI, Nov 30, 2023 analysis

The UN Database was released on February 12, 2020 in the Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/43/71) after the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the oPt, including East Jerusalem.  There are currently 97 companies listed by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights.

AFSC Investigate provides a list of substantial, ongoing, and intentional complicity in severe violations of human rights and international law related to occupied Palestine and the Syrian Golan.

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