Dr. Jennifer Purdy, a former Canadian military physician and current Green Party of Canada candidate, has emerged as one of the most outspoken voices within the party on the issue of Palestine. A family doctor and climate advocate, Purdy has earned praise from grassroots activists for consistently calling the Israeli assault on Gaza what it is: a genocide.
In a recent post, Dr. Purdy expressed her outrage over the killing of 15 paramedics and civil defence workers in Rafah, demanding that the Canadian government “stop funding & support for #PalestinianGenocide.” Her position—clear, principled, and unflinching—stands in stark contrast to the vague and evasive language still used by many federal politicians.
“As a MD, I am outraged by this video from one of the 15 paramedics & civil defence killed in cold blood by the IDF,” she wrote on X. “@CanadianPM stop 🇨🇦 funding & support for #PalestinianGenocide.”
Purdy has called for a full arms embargo on Israel and insists that Canada is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention by continuing diplomatic and financial support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. “We need to enact an arms embargo and take other actions as appropriate to try and do our best to make the genocide stop sooner rather than later,” she said in a recent campaign video.
Yet despite her strong stance on Gaza, Purdy’s politics raise questions for anti-war and anti-militarist Greens.
In that same campaign video, Purdy praises the Canadian government’s military response to the war in Ukraine, saying “Canada has taken appropriate actions against Russia” and is “assisting Ukraine after the illegal invasion.” She describes herself as “very happy” to be running in part because of this issue, saying it is a matter of “international law.”
While many in the Green grassroots movement have called for diplomacy and de-escalation in Ukraine—mirroring the same logic used in defending Palestinians—Purdy’s support for Canada’s Ukraine policy represents a more hawkish approach. Her position aligns her with the current bipartisan consensus in Ottawa that includes military aid, economic sanctions, and NATO expansion.
Purdy is also a vocal supporter of Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault’s civil defence and militarization platform. As the Green Party’s shadow cabinet defence critic, she has promoted plans for a national civil defence corps and increased military readiness—measures that include expanded training in combat and firearms handling. This is being sold to voter by Pedneault as an opportunity for Canadian youth. Purdy’s support for these proposals and her role in drafting them ties her directly to Pedneault’s push for increased militarism and military spending.
This tension—between her principled advocacy for Palestinian rights and her embrace of Canada’s expanding military posture—has not gone unnoticed. Some Green supporters have questioned how the party can support sanctions against Israel for war crimes while cheering on similar weapons exports, military alliances, and escalatory tactics elsewhere. Many anti-war Greens are hoping she will revise her position and stand for peace everywhere – a move that would put her at odds with the military establishment and party leadership.
Still, Purdy remains a respected figure within the party for her authenticity, her direct communication style, and her long record of public service. From her years as a physician to her work during the COVID-19 pandemic and now as a mother of triplets running a medical clinic, she brings real-world experience and the voice of a doctor opposed to Israel’s most atrocious actions in Palestine to Canadian politics.
“Palestine is a matter of international law,” she said. “Canada is failing in its obligations under the Genocide Convention.”
