Whitehorse residents urge city council to reconsider motion to support Palestine

Crowds packed the Whitehorse city council chambers on Monday, as delegates urged council to reconsider a motion to support Palestine and call for a ceasefire.

Some sat on the floor or stood to watch the proceedings as councillors listened to dozens of speakers for nearly three hours.

"Toronto, Burnaby, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Montreal have called for a ceasefire," said Miasha Albisser.

"In B.C. alone, over 50 mayors and councillors have signed a letter to the Canadian government calling for a ceasefire."

The issue dates back to May 21, when Coun. Michelle Friesen presented a notice of motion expressing solidarity with Palestinians and calling for a permanent ceasefire.

Coun. Kirk Cameron called a point of order objecting to the motion, saying it was outside council's jurisdiction.

Mayor Laura Cabott agreed. On May 28, she upheld that point of order, stating that the motion was divisive and against the community's best interest.

Delegates filed past bylaw officers stationed outside Whitehorse city council chambers on Monday, June 3 as the meeting began. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)

Julianna Scramstad, who spoke at Monday's meeting, objected to Cabott's reasoning.

"The mayor cited the responsibility council holds to represent the entire community,"  Scramstad said. "Do you see the hundreds of people who have attended the rallies, the marches, the vigils held here in Whitehorse?"

Some delegates quoted from council bylaws and the declaration of commitment between Whitehorse, the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation – which commits to lobbying other orders of government for the advancement of shared community interests –  to argue that the proposed motion fell within the city's mandate.

Comparisons to Ukraine

Speakers compared the response to the war in Palestine to the way councillors responded to the war in Ukraine. 

Eight different delegates highlighted comments councillors made when a motion was brought forward to make Chorkiv, Ukraine a sister city with Whitehorse.

Saba Javed told council, "I hope it's uncomfortable tonight sitting in this chamber hearing your words repeated back to you ... For one group, you used all your municipal might to signal solidarity, while for another, you contort rules and procedures to quietly slide out of your responsibility as a council."

Delegates said the motion should have been publicly debated.

Some expressed concerns over free speech and the democratic process.

Those that couldn't find a seat stood to listen at Monday's city council meeting in Whitehorse. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)

"Everyday, people who look like me and my community are being killed and starved and injured in Gaza, and city council is staying silent," Mohammed Javed told councillors.

"I am very sad that the city shut down the motion instead of allowing us to talk about it. Yukoners care about each other. I know we are willing to have hard conversations together."

Friesen asked city staff if it would be possible to reintroduce the motion.

They responded that there is a process to reconsider decisions made by council, but the upheld point of order might complicate the process.

Residents listen to speakers at a city council meeting in Whitehorse on June 3. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)

Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu, who previously voted to uphold the point of order, raised the possibility of bringing forward a more "neutral" motion.

Cameron said that many speakers misunderstood his intention in calling the point of order.

It was a governance question rather than a statement against the Palestinian people, he added.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged that the community had communicated its concerns "loud and clear" and suggested a more neutral motion could convey people's beliefs to Ottawa.

City administrators said they would look into it and have an answer within the next few weeks.