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Identifying wine made in West Bank settlements as a product of Israel is “deceptive” and interferes with the Charter right to free expression by making it harder for Canadians to “buy conscientiously,” the Federal Court ruled Monday.

The case, which began two years ago as a complaint about wine labels to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), reaches into both a fractious foreign policy debate and Canadians’ fundamental rights of free speech.

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“Identifying settlement wines incorrectly as “Products of Israel” inhibits the ability of such individuals to express their political views through their purchasing choices, thereby limiting their Charter-protected right to freedom of expression,” reads the Federal Court decision by Justice Anne Mactavish. According to CFIA guidelines, the labels are “false, misleading and deceptive.”

The court decision references the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement to boycott Israeli products and services in an attempt to apply political pressure on the country to withdraw from the West Bank. Although the court heard extensive arguments on the legality of the Israeli settlements, it steered clear of making any strong statements on the issue and instead focused on the administrative decisions of the CFIA and how they brush up against the Charter. In her decision, Mactavish notes that all parties agreed that the settlements, whatever their legality, were not part of the territorial boundaries of the State of Israel.