Canada will continue to back a two-state solution between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours, but it’s not about to change its foreign policy based on an NDP push to “officially recognize” the state of Palestine, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Monday.
Joly staunchly defended the government’s response to the Israel-Hamas war as MPs in the House of Commons debated a New Democrat motion calling on the Liberals to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Working toward a path to a lasting peace was top of her agenda during her recent trip to the region, she added.
The ongoing war has opened significant fissures within the Liberal caucus, members of which discussed their positions on the motion during a morning call ahead of the debate.
The New Democrats and Liberals were holding talks over the motion and its various demands, but as of Monday afternoon, no changes had been made.
The non-binding motion, introduced by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, calls on the government to demand an immediate ceasefire, as well as the release of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.
It also urges the governing Liberals to lift the cap on temporary resident visas for Palestinians still trapped in Gaza and to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel.”
Members of Parliament were expected to vote on the motion sometime after the supper hour.
During earlier debate on the motion, Joly told the House in French that Canada has a strict system for approving export permits and that it has not approved one from Israel since Jan. 8.
Canada is also aware of the violence being perpetuated by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Joly said. The government is prepared to sanction those responsible for inflicting such violence against Palestinians, she added.
Joly also said the government believes a hostage deal must be reached and a humanitarian ceasefire established, and that aid be allowed to enter the besieged Gaza Strip more freely.
However, “there are issues” with the NDP’s motion, and Canada “can’t change foreign policy based on an opposition motion,” she added.
George Chahal, a Liberal MP from Calgary, said he intended to vote in favour of the motion and was waiting to see if any changes would be made.
“I’ve advocated for a ceasefire, and I think for humanity, we need to support the women and children and families in Gaza.”
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Salma Zahid said she believes voting for the motion “is the moral and human thing to do.”
She said the mounting death toll of civilians in Gaza is a “moment of shame” and urged her colleagues to support the NDP push.
“I hope everyone votes in favour.”
Ottawa Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi also confirmed on social media that he’d heard from many constituents about the war and aimed to support the motion.
In the House, Joly said a lot of people are looking for the government to condemn one side or the other.
“We have to condemn both sides,” she said. “And we have to help both sides to get eventually to an understanding that Israelis and Palestinians will have to live together in peace.”
Anthony Housefather, a Liberal from Montreal, gave an impassioned plea in the House, describing how “demoralized and intimidated” the Jewish community feels.
“This motion creates one winner and one loser,” he said.
“The way this motion is constructed, it is clearly creating a false equivalency of the state of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.”
He said passing the motion would amount to changing Canadian policy to reward Hamas for the attack on innocents in Israel that prompted the war: “‘Good for you, terrorists.'”
But Heather McPherson, the NDP’s foreign affairs critic, said ahead of the vote that “now is the time to recognize Palestine.”
She detailed the unfolding humanitarian crisis amid the Israel-Hamas war, adding that the thousands of Palestinian children who are facing starvation “are not Hamas.”
“The choice to refuse aid to these children is political,” McPherson said.
The Bloc Québécois told the House of Commons on Monday that its MPs intend to support the motion, while the Opposition Conservatives said they stand opposed.
Michael Chong, the party’s foreign affairs critic, said Conservatives believe in a two-state solution, but that it must come as a result of negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives.
Such a process could take months, “if not years,” the MP said.
Joly, too, told the House in French that lasting security for both Israelis and Palestinians would only be achieved through a “negotiated political solution.”
Nevertheless, Melissa Lantsman, one of the Conservatives’ deputy leaders, said Joly’s statements left Canadians with a muddied impression of the government’s position. Lantsman accused it of having none.
“They send one group of MPs into one community to say one thing, and another group of MPs into another community to say another thing … they have no moral clarity,” Lantsman said.
Both she and Chong say it’s a problem that the motion makes no mention of demanding the surrender of Hamas, which Canada has designated as a terrorist entity for decades.
Lantsman called recognition of Palestinian statehood a “blind sellout to the forces of evil at home and abroad” and “a dead giveaway to a group literally defined as terrorist by Canadian law.”
Canada’s policy to support the creation of a “sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous” state for Palestinians has remained unchanged since the war began.
The government has not spoken to whether Canada should officially recognize Palestine as a country outside of a negotiated settlement, but some allies are considering it.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Monday with Benny Gantz, Israel’s defence minister, who said on social media that he was grateful for Trudeau’s commitment to Israeli security.
But Gantz also warned that unilateral recognition of Palestine would be “counter-productive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability, and would ultimately reward terrorism.”
A readout of the call published by the Prime Minister’s Office made no mention of the motion but said Trudeau “underscored the importance of renewing efforts toward a two-state solution to secure lasting peace in the region.”
In late January, the United Kingdom said it was looking into unilateral recognition of Palestine, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying it would preserve momentum toward a two-state solution and a peaceful goal for Palestinians to work toward.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration made similar comments in February, amid concern that the Israeli government was moving to block the viability of an eventual Palestinian state.
The war began when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people, taking another 240 hostage.
Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip say Israel’s military offensive in the densely populated area has killed at least 31,700 Palestinians, including thousands of children.
Muslim groups spoke in support of the motion at a news conference Monday on Parliament Hill.
“When our government’s policy is in support of a two-state solution, then we should vote for those motions that align with it,” said Ahmad Al-Qadi of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
Islamic Relief Canada representative Miranda Gallo said it was a matter of upholding the values of international law and human dignity.
“This motion should not be treated as a partisan issue or as a matter of politics, but of principle, and universal values,” she said.
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