Colchester NS - Mayor Christine Blair and Council: Join the national Call for a Ceasefire

Over the past days and weeks, I have watched with profound grief as the civilian death toll in Gaza has mounted. While I condemn and mourn the 1,200 people killed in the Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7, I am deeply unsettled knowing that at least 17,487 Palestinians have been killed since then and that number continues to rise daily. Aid agencies warn that a humanitarian disaster in Gaza is worsening by the hour with most of its 2.3 million people homeless and trapped in a tiny, embattled coastal enclave, with little food, water, medical care, fuel or secure shelter.

After a promised pause, the Israeli military has resumed attacks on the people of Gaza. It is more clear now than ever before that what we really need is a permanent ceasefire.

In a December 9, 2023 statement, Doctors Without Borders writes, "Israel has continued to indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian structures, impose a siege that amounts to collective punishment for the entire population of Gaza, force mass displacement, and deny access to vital medical care and humanitarian assistance...For humanitarians to be able to respond to the overwhelming needs, we need a ceasefire now."

One way we can do that is to get more prominent politicians into the fray. Already, some municipal politicians have called on the Canadian government to support a permanent ceasefire. The more decision-makers who add their voices, the more pressure there will be on the federal government.

Add your name to call on your local Mayor and council to come out in support of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza now.