Questions turn to ceasefire, humanitarian aid and Iran after MPs condemn Hamas

Parliamentarians expressed sorrow and fear about the deepening crisis in the Middle East, and pressed the government for answers on its response during the first sitting week since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel. “Our hearts are broken, and they break again and again as we hear each story,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) told a conference on antisemitism in Ottawa on Oct. 17 speaking of the Canadians confirmed dead after a Hamas attack on southern Israel 11 days prior. At the time of publication, six Canadians were confirmed dead, among the estimated 1,400 people killed after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli military and civilian targets on Oct. 7. Another two Canadians have been reported missing. Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza, a heightened military presence near the borders of the territory, and a siege that cut off water, power, and fuel access. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 3,700 people have been killed in the territory since the initial attack. Here in Canada, the crisis is not far from the minds of parliamentarians as they returned to Ottawa after a constituency week from Oct. 9-13. All four recognized party leaders in the House spoke at the Oct. 17 conference on antisemitism which was organized by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) prior to the attack earlier this month. The day before, following Question Period, Trudeau told the House that Canada supported Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law, and said that Hamas “members are not freedom fighters. They are not a resistance. They are terrorists. Terrorism is always indefensible, and nothing can justify Hamas's acts of terror or the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians.” Trudeau also said that in Gaza and elsewhere, “even wars have rules,” and that “the rule of law is what we stand up for here in Parliament, what we advocate through diplomacy and what we will always fight for no matter the circumstance.” He also called for Hamas to immediately release all hostages, for unimpeded humanitarian access, and for the creation of a humanitarian corridor for essential aid into Gaza. As of Oct. 20, Hamas had released two U.S. hostages, while Israel said 203 people had been taken from Israel into Gaza. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, Ont.) noted that the Oct. 7 attack was the worst “on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” and described Hamas as “a sadistic criminal terrorist death cult, and it must be defeated.” “Hamas can only be destroyed, just like President Obama destroyed and assassinated Osama bin Laden,” he said. “There was no negotiating with bin Laden, and there can be no negotiating with Hamas.” Poilievre also reiterated that Israel had the right to defend itself under international law, and that "the suffering of the Palestinian people is a tragedy. Every innocent human life—Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, Christian or otherwise—is of equal precious value.” He said the Canadian government should call for the immediate release of all hostages, conduct a review of all aid programs to ensure that no funding goes towards terrorism, and for the protection of all places of worship in Canada. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for the government to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity after the Hamas attack. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Poilievre said Hamas had been guided by the Iranian government, which he said was concerned by Israel’s progress towards the normalization of relations with several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Israel signed accords with Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan in 2020, with varying degrees of normalization agreed to in each. The country had also been pursuing the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, but Reuters reported on Oct. 13 that the Saudi government had put those plans on hold when the most recent conflict broke out. Such agreements “would be a nightmare for Hamas and for the dictatorship in Iran,” Poilievre told the House, as he reiterated his party’s call for the Canadian government to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. The government has described the IRGC in press releases as a terrorist organization, and has imposed sanctions on officials, but the corps as a whole is not on the official list of terrorist entities. The only part of the IRGC on the list is its “Qods Force,” which carries out military intelligence and covert activities outside Iran. Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Oct. 14, according to Al Jazeera, during which they “agreed to continue co-operation.” Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied his country was involved in the Oct. 7 attack on his official English-language website, but also expressed support for Hamas and its actions. NDP, Bloc question government on humanitarian efforts NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.), her party’s foreign affairs critic, asked the government both about its efforts to protect and release hostages, as well as why it would “not stand up for international law, and call for a ceasefire.” Following Trudeau’s remarks in the House, McPherson raised “the question of what Canada has done in the past few years to stop arms from going into the hands of Hamas.” She said the world was witnessing violations of international law in Gaza, describing the situation as a “humanitarian nightmare.” “International law obligations are not reciprocal. One war crime does not excuse another. Retribution is not justice. Retribution does not bring peace,” she said. “International law was not written by pacifists. The laws of war were written by governments whose militaries had suffered extraordinary losses, who had seen civilians massacred and who had experienced the horrors of war.” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil–Chambly, Que.), meanwhile, said Canada “must not remain on the sidelines of major movements, and must ask to join its allies in considering and coordinating a western strategy to put a quick end to the hostilities, and ensure that the creature called Hamas never raises its ugly head again.” “What we do must be first and foremost humane, and then we must aim for a humanitarian approach, for compassion and understanding,” he said. “It is important to put ourselves in the same situation.” Blanchet requested that Trudeau meet with all party leaders to provide confidential updates on the crisis. The NDP also called for a ceasefire, as did individual members of some other parties. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the only way forward to peace was the release of all hostages and a ceasefire. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) told reporters on Oct. 18 that the party’s call for a ceasefire was “about compassion and recognizing the horrible human toll of ongoing violence, and the toll is that innocent people lose their lives.” “That’s why we’re saying that we think the only way forward to peace is to ensure that the hostages are released and there’s a ceasefire, because the alternative is what we’re seeing—the horrible death and destruction,” Singh said. Green Party MP Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, Ont.) earlier said a ceasefire was a “really critical measure.” “It’s important for Canada to call for it, absolutely, along with calling for international law to be followed, and for a humanitarian corridor,” he said. Liberal MP Shafqat Ali (Brampton, Ont.), meanwhile, told reporters on the same day that a “ceasefire must be called.” His colleague, Sameer Zuberi (Pierrefonds–Dollard, Que.), who is parliamentary secretary to Diversity and Inclusion Minister Kamal Khera (Brampton West, Ont.), described the ongoing deaths in the conflict as “not acceptable.” “I know that civilians are dying,” he told reporters. “If I was behind an artillery cannon, and I knew this would fall on hospitals and schools, I would not push that trigger.” But Liberal MP Ben Carr (Winnipeg South Centre, Man.) said that “although we all want an end to this conflict as quickly as possible, there are steps that need to take place.” “Hamas is still harbouring hostages that it took from Israel during the attack, that’s one issue,” he said. “The second is Israel has a right to defend itself, and part of that defence means helping deal with the structure of the current Hamas regime. If that regime is not dealt with, then as time goes by they will simply rebuild, they’ll rebuild stronger, and Israel will be at threat again.” The Globe and Mail reported on Oct. 19 that at least eight Liberal MPs were calling for a ceasefire, and that some members of caucus were calling for the government to take a harder line against Israel for its siege of Gaza. At the same time, Trudeau was last week facing calls from CIJA, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, and B'nai Brith Canada to "retract and clarify" comments about a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital on Oct. 18. Both Israel and Hamas have denied responsibility. Trudeau, who was asked the same day for his comments in the context of reports that an Israeli airstrike was to blame, to which he said bombing a hospital was not legal, and the news was "horrific and unacceptable." MPs speak of anguish in ridings The Canadian government continued to operate evacuation flights out of Israel on military aircraft last week. Photograph courtesy of X/@TravelGoC Zuberi spoke during a four-hour take note debate in the House on Oct. 16 about the conflict, and menioned that he was attending a Shabbat lunch with a rabbi in his riding on Oct. 7 as the details of the attack emerged. “We sat together, and the rabbi said that they were honoured by guests from outside of the community and that their Sukkot is complete when they welcome those from outside the community,” he said. Zuberi also said that his sister-in-law, who wears a hijab, was accosted while taking her daughter to school. “Two different people within my riding gave her the middle finger. One followed her. She thought it was too unsafe to complete that drive. She returned home. Things are happening within our communities. We have to recognize this. It is critical that we do so,” he said. Mental Health Minister Ya’ara Saks (York Centre, Ont.) said that no one in Canada would ever be able to fully understand what Israelis and Palestinians have gone through since Oct. 7, but that “we all feel these moments deeply.” “I also worry for our communities here at home, for our children who are afraid to go to school and for our places of worship, which are afraid to be open,” Saks said. “There are so many who fear for their safety. We must come together in unity to fight back hate and to combat terror.” Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.) said Jewish Canadians were both in mourning and feel under threat. “It is unfathomable to me that, in 2023, anyone should fear sending their kids to school or being near a place or in a place of worship, at a community centre or in a business owned by an identifiable group at the centre of this war,” she said. “It is a complete perversion of the rights and freedoms afforded to anyone in this country, and it requires more than just words like ‘stay vigilant.’ It requires action. It requires action from every level of government.” Liberal MP Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal, Que.) said the country’s Jewish and Muslim communities were feeling vulnerable and nervous. “Something that has been impressed on the Jewish community for a very long time is the feeling that in the world today, we are very isolated,” he said. “Antisemitism is on the rise, people are worried, and this has exacerbated the situation… Jewish Canadians are left shocked, vulnerable, apprehensive, afraid and angry. That is where we are today.” Carr, who shared his time in the take-note debate with Housefather, raised an anecdote from the childhood of his father, the late Jim Carr, when he and other Jewish children were attacked behind a Winnipeg community centre. “It really has not been until today that I have understood and felt the same fear that I suspect my father felt back then,” he said. “It is possible to live in a world where we strive for peace in the Middle East while at the same time being able to state in no uncertain terms that we condemn the rape, murder and kidnapping of innocent women, children and the elderly,” Carr said. “We must be able to say this without the word ‘but’ inserted to serve as the catalyst for some moral justification.” Carr also asked other MPs during the debate whether they felt Israel’s response was revenge, or whether it was in terms of the country’s right to self-defence. Liberal MP Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Ont.) said she was concerned about rising numbers of Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents in Canada, and called for patience, kindness and understanding. “When I speak to members of the Palestinian community, they are tired. They are in pain. They feel their future has been on hold for generations. They feel their freedom has been denied,” she said. Noteworthy quotes from House take-note debate Israel-Gaza war, Oct. 16, 2023: Minister of Mental Health Ya'ara Saks. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Minister of Mental Health Ya'ara Saks (York Centre, Ont.): "These moments are traumatic to engage with, and I have certainly learned this over my lifetime, but if these times teach us anything, it is how little distance stands between us because we cannot lose our humanity in this moment. Our communities have been deeply touched by these events. No one in this country will ever be able to fully understand what Israelis and Palestinians have gone through in this time of war, yet we all feel these moments deeply. This is true for the Canadians in Israel and Gaza experiencing these unspeakable horrors, their families back home and the millions of people, both in the region and around the world, who are witnessing this hour by hour." International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen (York South-Weston, Ont.): "We must not let the actions of Hamas turn into hate in Canada. I unequivocally condemn the rising acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim behaviour that we have seen in Canada in the last week. We must come together to call out hate in all its forms." Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.): "I would remind the House, in this vein, that the 1988 Hamas covenant and the revised charter from about five years ago must not be ignored in the conversation. The original charter is rather clear on Hamas's genocidal intentions. It calls for the complete destruction of Israel as an essential condition for the liberation of Palestine, and the establishment of a theocratic state based on Islamic law. It states the need for an unrestrained and unceasing jihad to obtain that objective and the outright dismissal of any negotiated resolution or political settlement of Jewish or Muslim claim to the land. It is by every account anti-Semitic." NDP MP Leah Gazan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, Man.): "Certainly, with my family history, having lost my whole family on my father's side in the Holocaust, what is going on is very troubling. I learned many valuable things from my father, and I was very touched by Vivian Silver's son's comments about his mother, who is currently a hostage with Hamas. He said, 'You can't cure killed babies with more dead babies. We need peace'. He spoke about the fact that vengeance is not a strategy." Conservative MP Michael Chong. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ont.): "The coming days and weeks will be a test of western condemnation of Hamas and a test of western solidarity with Israel. In the coming days and weeks, Israel will exercise its right to defend itself under article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which states, 'Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.'" Block Québecois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, centre, with Bloc MPs Luc Desilets, left, and Mario Simard, right, on Sept. 15, 2022. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, Que.): "More than one million residents of Gaza have fled south, raising ominous concerns for young families. In addition to bombing the Gaza Strip, Israel has laid full siege to the area. The resulting blockade has forced Gaza's only power plant to shut down, cutting off the water supply and depriving hospitals of electricity. According to a number of sources, many Palestinians are now resorting to drinking salt water, leading to rising mortality rates. The worst is yet to come, as the days dwindle to hours before Israel's anticipated ground offensive against Gaza begins. Faced with this situation, we are appealing to Israeli authorities. A democracy like Israel has a duty and a responsibility to act within the framework of international law and human rights. Not enough attention is being focused on the need to create a humanitarian corridor into the Gaza Strip. Time is running out. The situation is beyond urgent. Human lives are at stake." NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.): "This is a time when we must speak clearly: We condemn Hamas. We condemn the brutal murders of whole families and the taking of hostages. Terrorism is abhorrent to all of us who love peace and strive for justice. We cannot allow the world to use this terrorism to justify the human catastrophe unfolding before our eyes in Gaza. The United Nations has said that nearly half of Gaza's people have been forced to flee from their homes. Morgues are overflowing. Hospitals are running out of supplies like painkillers, leaving those injured to endure terrible suffering. Food and water are scarce. There is raw sewage in the streets. Canada cannot stand by while the people of Gaza are left to die." Liberal MP Ben Carr, pictured recently on the Hill. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Liberal MP Ben Carr (Winnipeg South Centre, Man.): "When I was a kid, my father would talk to me often about his life as a kid. Mostly they were positive stories filled with wisdom and great life lessons. However, one story he told took place at the Crescentwood Community Centre when he was about 12 years old. He and some other Jewish kids from the neighbourhood were attacked behind the building. They were beat up and bloodied because they were Jews. It really has not been until today that I have understood and felt the same fear that I suspect my father felt back then. It is with that in mind that I quote something Professor Irwin Cotler said earlier as we announced a new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. It was that the Jewish population in Canada represents one per cent, but 67 per cent of all hate crimes in Canada are levied against the Jewish community." NDP MP Peter Julian. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP MP Peter Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.): "At this sombre occasion, there is the collective punishment that is taking place and the bombing in Gaza right now. The death toll is rising to 3,000 people. There are 1,000 children dead so far and 10,000 wounded. The question is if we could stop the killing of those innocent lives, those brothers, sisters, parents and children, through this bombing, would we not step up to do that? Is that not what is behind the important call for a ceasefire, to have that humanitarian corridor so that food and water can get to the people who have no food, no medicine and no water? Ensuring that the hostages are released is absolutely fundamental as well." Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles, Que.): "Hamas emerged in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada. The group's charter calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the place of Israel and rejects all agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Hamas has a military branch that has led many anti-Israeli attacks in Israel and in Palestinian territories since the 1990s. Hamas continues to refuse to recognize Israel or to abandon its violent resistance against Israel. It proactively encourages and leads terrorist attacks and does everything it can to sow hatred against Jews. As a result, the American government designated Hamas as a terrorist organization in 1997, and Canada followed suit in 2002." Liberal MP Salma Zahid. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Liberal MP Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Ont.): "As a mother, I worry about the trauma so many children must be experiencing. I know everyone has been traumatized by the news of the attack on a Muslim family in Chicago and the death of a six-year-old boy who were targeted because they are Muslim. As a mother, I worry for the safety of my own children when they go out to eat, play basketball or go to work. We are all worried. I came to Canada to live a peaceful life. I condemn all incidents of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I urge any incidents of hateful violence to be investigated by the proper authorities. There is no place for any hatred in Canada." Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan (Outremont, Que.): "I would like to talk about Alexandre Look, a 33-year-old from Montreal. His mother told RDI that her son had called, over video, at about 11:15 p.m., Quebec time. He said, “Mommy, we're in the middle of a terrorist attack.” His father added, “We witnessed our son's murder.” Young Alexandre took refuge in a shelter with about 30 other people. According to reports, survivors who were with Alexandre Look in the shelter explained that he tried to block the entrance, which had no door. That is when he was fired upon by militants. One of the survivors had this to say about Alexandre: “I swear to you, he was our shield. If he hadn't been there, we'd all be dead.” This Montrealer gave his life to save others. Shir Georgy, 22, Ben Mizrachi, 22, Adi Vital-Kaploun, 33, and Netta Epstein, 21, were all Canadians." Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.): "On one side in this war is the State of Israel. On the other side is a terrorist organization of criminals laced through and hiding among a civilian population. I know that 'perhaps' in this context is a dangerous notion for someone in politics, but let me climb out on a limb and ask this: Canadians have the the history of having invented the peacekeepers under former prime minister Lester B. Pearson; as such, can we imagine a policing action of many states to eliminate Hamas? Can we go in and eliminate the criminals, without bombing from the air, and have an ability to rescue innocents and hostages? I am not saying with no violence. Can we kill and eliminate Hamas, but do it carefully through peacekeeping measures?" Conservative MP Michael Chong. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Conservative MP Michael Chong: "Both the Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada are living in fear of an attack. The government's integrated threat assessment centre has assessed Canada's national terrorism threat level at medium, where it has been since October 2014. Does he think that it would be a good idea for the Government of Canada's integrated threat assessment centre to give Canadians, including those in the Jewish and Muslim communities, an update tomorrow about the threat level so that Canadians can be assured the government is assessing the situation and ensuring the protection and safety of Canadians?" NDP MP Heather McPherson. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.): "On Oct. 14, the president of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, said, 'The situation for children in Gaza is catastrophic, with hundreds of children reportedly killed. UNICEF calls for an immediate ceasefire, compliance with the rules of war and humanitarian access. All children, everywhere, must be protected at all times.'" Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, Que.): "There was a Radio-Canada article this week with the headline Sale temps pour les pacifistes, hard times for pacifists. It recounted stories of long-standing friendships, unlikely friendships between Israelis and Palestinians living in Quebec, friendships driven by the desire to see the two nations one day live in peace. Unfortunately, these friendships are currently being put to the test. Clearly, it is because of the situation on the ground in Israel and Palestine, but it is also because of the hateful demonstrations happening elsewhere in the world that deserve condemnation. The longer the situation in Gaza drags on, the more civilians will lose their lives, and the more I fear that polarization will get worse, bringing even more hatred in its wake." sjeffery@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Questions turn to ceasefire, humanitarian aid and Iran after MPs condemn Hamas

The first week of Parliament since the Oct. 7 attack in Gaza saw MPs look for answers on Canada’s support for citizens in the region, advocacy for international law, and consequences for Hamas’ allies.

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Questions turn to ceasefire, humanitarian aid and Iran after MPs condemn Hamas

The first week of Parliament since the Oct. 7 attack in Gaza saw MPs look for answers on Canada’s support for citizens in the region, advocacy for international law, and consequences for Hamas’ allies.

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