NewzA group of lawyers and civil society members have filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau over Israeli real estate events in Toronto and Montreal, alleging that illegal properties were marketed to Canadians under false pretences. The complaint alleges at least four Israeli real estate companies and one Canadian marketing firm promoted properties in occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank while misleading consumers to believe they were in Israel. The Competition Bureau says it will review the complaint filed by Global Echo Litigation Center and the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights and determine if an investigation into the companies is warranted.
James Yap, president of the lawyers’ association and a Windsor university law professor, said Canadians who may have purchased West Bank properties could be opening themselves up to serious legal consequences under international law, such as complicity in war crimes. Canada and much of the international community have long held that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. The territory has been occupied by Israel since 1967, but settlement activity has significantly increased since the onset of the latest war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of Gaza’s two million residents. Ottawa advised Canadian businesses in August to avoid engaging with Israeli settlements, warning that failing to do so could open them up to legal and financial risk. “The Canadian government talks a lot about upholding international law,” Yap said.
“We have our prime minister bemoaning the deterioration of the international rules-based order. They condemn the settlements as illegal. They talk about taking steps, taking action.
This is a chance for the Canadian government to actually take action.” The complaint, filed on behalf of six Canadians, compiles photos, social media posts and promotional materials of condo projects in the occupied West Bank being marketed at various real estate events from 2024 to 2026. One photo of an Israeli real estate company’s booth at the 2024 Great Israeli Real Estate Event in Montreal suggests the company promoted condo projects in Ma’ale Adumim and Adam, two…
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