A group of lawyers and civil society representatives filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau regarding Israeli real estate events held in Toronto and Montreal, alleging that illegal properties were marketed to Canadians under false pretenses.
The complaint alleges that at least four Israeli real estate companies and a Canadian marketing agency promoted properties located in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank, while misleading consumers into believing they were located in Israel.
The Competition Bureau states that it will review the complaint filed by the Global Echo Litigation Center and the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights to determine whether an investigation into these companies is warranted.
James Yap, president of the lawyers’ association and a law professor at the University of Windsor, stated that Canadians who may have purchased real estate in the West Bank face serious legal consequences under international law, such as complicity in war crimes.
Canada and much of the international community have long considered Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
Israel has occupied this territory since 1967, but settlement activity has intensified significantly since the start of the latest war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023, which left 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of Gaza’s two million residents.
In August, Ottawa advised Canadian companies to avoid any collaboration with Israeli settlements, warning that failure to comply with this directive could expose them to legal and financial risks.
“The Canadian government talks a lot about respecting international law,” said Yap. “Our prime minister laments the deterioration of the rules-based international order. He condemns the settlements, calling them illegal. He talks about taking measures, about taking action. This is an opportunity for the Canadian government to actually take action.”
The complaint, filed on behalf of six Canadians, includes photos, social media posts, and promotional materials related to condominium projects in the occupied West Bank that were marketed at various real estate fairs between 2024 and 2026.
A photo of an Israeli real estate agency’s booth at the 2024 “Great Israeli Real Estate Event” in Montreal suggests that the company was promoting condominium projects in Ma’ale Adumim and Adam—two Israeli settlements located in the occupied West Bank—alongside Israeli properties.
The company’s booth promoted these real estate developments with the message inviting people to find their “dream home in Israel.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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