Dear Mark Carney,
My name is Devon J Hall, and I am a survivor of over thirty years of childhood sex trafficking. I know what it means to be stripped of autonomy, silenced, and made to feel powerless. I know what it is to be taken from your family, to be told you don’t belong — even on land where you were born, where you bled, where your roots have grown.
As a biracial Black woman, I know I am not Indigenous to Canada, yet I also know I belong to a nation I may never truly know because of the barriers created by generational poverty.
Eight years ago, I reached out to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to address the challenges facing young girls in Canada — especially teenagers — and was told, “Mr. Trudeau doesn’t think this is his area.” That moment crystallized something for me: our leaders too often choose silence when voices most need to be heard.
Today, I’m writing to you because the people of Palestine — children, families, LGBTQ2S+ and nonbinary folks, the disabled — are being erased. Their homes have been destroyed, their lands stolen, their histories wiped out. Their autonomy has been stripped, and their existence continues to be threatened by ongoing military violence from Israel.
Recently, you were seen at the Nova Festival memorial. I understand why. What happened on October 7 was horrific. But I need you to understand something too: For over four decades, Israel has rained terror upon the people of Palestine with little to no consequence. Entire generations have been devastated — and the world, including Canada, has largely remained silent.
As the new leader of this country, you now have the opportunity to make a difference that echoes beyond politics — a difference that could shape generations to come.
According to journalist Rachel Gilmore, Canada has welcomed over 10,000 Israeli citizens in recent months, while fewer than 700 Palestinians have found safety here — despite their desperate need for housing, medical care, and basic human dignity. This disparity cannot be ignored.
You have the power to shift the narrative. You have the power to impose sanctions on Benjamin Netanyahu and demand accountability. You have already told the world that Canada is not America, that we will not follow in the footsteps of Trump’s hateful legacy — and for that, I applaud you.
But there is more to do.
Sanctioning the Israeli government would send a powerful message: that Canada will not be complicit in genocide. That we believe in justice, in equity, in peace.
You may see me as just an ordinary citizen — and maybe I am. But I believe in the power of ordinary people to change the world. I believe you once did too.
I used to dream of using my voice for fame and fortune. Today, I dream of using it for something much bigger: for liberation, for healing, for truth.
While Donald Trump deports American citizens and wages war on the very people who built his country, I’m asking you to choose a different path — a courageous path. One that sees beyond borders, beyond politics, and into the very heart of our shared humanity.
With hope,
Devon J Hall
Loud Mouth Brown Girl 