A screenshot from a video shared by Apartheid-Free Network shows destruction in Gaza. (Photo:
\nAmerican Friends Service Committee on YouTube)<\/p>\n
Signing onto a controversial pledge committing municipalities to take action against ethnic cleansing in Gaza would open the City of Brampton up to \u201csignificant legal and financial risks,\u201d according to a new report.<\/p>\n
Brampton City Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toorfirst first brought the pledge from the Apartheid-Free Network to council in October, and introduced a motion calling for an end to \u201call military operations by Israel in Gaza and facilitating full, unfettered humanitarian aid access to the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city signed onto the pledge \u201cin principle\u201d last month following push back from Jewish community groups<\/a>, and held off officially taking the pledge pending a report from staff.<\/p>\n But signing onto the pledge is outside \u201cthe scope\u201d delegated to municipalities by the province, and could put Brampton\u2019s procurement policies in conflict with trade agreements, like the Canada\u2013United States\u2013Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the report shows.<\/p>\n \u201cThese trade agreements require the City\u2019s procurement process to be based on non-discrimination practices\u2026the City may face legal exposure if decisions are viewed as discriminatory or arbitrary,\u201d the report from city staff going to council on Wednesday reads.<\/p>\n