An Open Call for Solidarity: Why Gazan Canadians Need the Support of Other Communities

For nearly two years, Gazan Canadians have carried the unbearable weight of trying to save our families trapped under siege and genocide in Gaza. We have written, spoken, lobbied, organized vigils, and poured every ounce of our energy into the Gaza Special Immigration Measures program. Yet, today we stand exhausted. Many of us have lost our jobs, our savings, our health, even relationships — all while struggling with the daily mental strain of survival in Canada while our loved ones face life and death abroad.

We are asking openly and humbly: we cannot continue this work alone.

Who We Are

Gazan Canadians are a group of Canadian citizens originally from Gaza. We are not lifelong activists. We are professionals, parents, students, and workers who never imagined we would be thrust into advocacy. But genocide has left us no choice. We are not anti-government, nor anti-police. We coordinate with allies from every background, including Jewish communities, faith-based organizations, healthcare workers, and other grassroots networks.

Our focus is narrow and urgent: to reunite with our families through Canada’s Gaza Special Immigration Measures program. This is not about immigration ideology or partisan politics. It is about survival, dignity, and the simple right to live with our loved ones.

Why We Need Others to Join Us

Our voices, even as Canadian citizens, are too often dismissed or dehumanized because of one fact: we are Gazans. The name alone carries a stigma that makes our advocacy invisible or discredited. Even when we speak with compassion and clarity, our message does not carry the same weight in the halls of power as it would if spoken by others with more privilege, more resources, or simply different backgrounds.

We are drained. Our community does not have deep financial or institutional resources. Our mental capacity is stretched thin. Every day feels like climbing a mountain just to be heard. To survive and to succeed, we need people outside our community — non-Arabs, non-Gazans, people of every color, ethnicity, and religion — to stand with us, and at times, to lead with us.

What We Are Asking

This is an open invitation for others to join and work alongside us. We are not asking people to replace us or speak over us, but to coordinate with us, listen to us, and then carry the message further than we are able to do alone.

We Need Volunteers and Allies in Every Aspect

This movement cannot survive on the shoulders of Gazan Canadians alone. We urgently need volunteers and allies from all communities, in every field and capacity. No skill is too small, and no contribution is insignificant. Whether you are a professional or simply someone with time and commitment, there is a role for you.

Here are the areas where your support can make a real impact:

• Media & Communications: Amplify our cause, write press releases, run social media campaigns, create content, and humanize our stories in Canadian media.

• Policy & Legal: Lawyers, policy experts, and advocates who can help us navigate immigration barriers, draft letters, and strengthen our cases.

• Lobbying & Political Outreach: Volunteers with relationships to Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), or other officials who can push for urgent action.

• Administration & Coordination: Help us organize meetings, schedule events, manage outreach, and keep our network running.

• Settlement Support: Settlement workers and service providers who can guide newcomers once they arrive in Canada.

• Fundraising & Finance: People who can design and manage fundraising campaigns, organize events, and handle resources strategically.

• Grassroots Organizing: Individuals and groups who can mobilize communities, bring people together, and build local networks of support.

• Outreach & Cold Calling: Volunteers willing to pick up the phone, call MPs, organizations, or community members, and spread the word.

• Coalition Building: Allies who can help us build partnerships with other organizations, unions, student groups, and faith-based communities.

• Creative & Design: People skilled in Canva, graphic design, video editing, or photography to make our message visually powerful and shareable.

• Research & Data: Volunteers who can gather information, track policies, and provide evidence to strengthen our advocacy.

• Event Planning & Logistics: Those who can help us organize rallies, community meetings, vigils, and other gatherings.

• Translation & Multilingual Support: Volunteers who can translate materials into French, Arabic, or other languages to broaden our reach.

• Mental Health & Wellness: Counselors, therapists, or wellness practitioners willing to provide community support as many of us face burnout and trauma.

• General Volunteers: Even if your skill set doesn’t fit neatly into these categories, we welcome your time and energy. Every contribution counts.

Trusted volunteers will be given access to our official @GazanCanadians.ca email domain so they can communicate with MPs and officials directly on behalf of our community, with full coordination from us. This ensures both legitimacy and impact while also helping bypass the stigma that silences Gazan voices.

Why It Matters

This is not just our fight. This is about Canada’s values. If Canadians — regardless of background — cannot step up when fellow citizens are being discriminated against, silenced, and dehumanized, then what does citizenship mean?

We are asking you to lend us your privilege, your skills, your networks, and your energy, not out of charity, but out of solidarity. We are trying to save lives. We are trying to bring families back together. And we cannot do it without you.

A Humanitarian Cause, Not a Political Agenda

While we know future causes will arise, right now we are focused only on the immediate, life-or-death struggle of reuniting families under Canada’s Special Immigration Measures for Gaza. This is not about partisan politics, ideology, or confrontation. It is about humanitarian survival.

Join Us

If you have time, resources, or skills to share, please reach out. If you have access to decision-makers, please stand beside us. If you can write, lobby, call, or simply share our message — your support matters.

We are tired. We are drained. But together, with your solidarity, we can succeed.

Gazan Canadians

Because survival should not depend on where you were born.