The divisions in society over the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip were seen in the House of Commons on Monday as a motion to acknowledge Palestine as a state was altered before the final vote. NDP MPs discussed the motion for hours, reflecting the emotional dispute over the Palestinian right to self-determination and Israel’s right to defend itself since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
However, just before the final vote, the governing Liberals presented a significant motion that softened the NDP’s original request, disappointing Opposition Conservatives and at least two Liberal MPs who had planned to vote against the original motion.
The revised version instead encourages Canada to actively pursue the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution, in line with Canada's existing policy.
It also mentioned Hamas as a terrorist organization and called for Hamas to disarm.
Arguments that MPs hadn’t had time to think about or debate the rewritten proposal were dismissed, and the new motion passed with a vote of 204-117.
The ongoing conflict has caused divisions within the Liberal caucus, with some members staunchly defending Israel while others criticize the country for the increasing death toll in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank.
Earlier in the day, Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather passionately expressed how demoralized and intimidated the Jewish community feels.
He said the NDP's version of the motion creates an unfair comparison between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
Housefather, a vocal critic of his own party’s handling of the conflict, voted against the amended motion, as did former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino and Manitoba MP Ben Carr.
Following the vote, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly was questioned about unhappy MPs in her party. Joly responded by saying, “we’re one big family and we always work together.”
She said the government intends to follow the policies its MPs voted for in the motion.
When NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson initially presented the motion, she said that “now is the time to recognize Palestine.”
She described the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Israel-Hamas conflict, adding that the thousands of Palestinian children facing starvation “are not Hamas.”
“The choice to refuse aid to these children is political,” McPherson said.
Despite the major changes to her motion, the NDP saw the passing of the revised version as a historic win.
The NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stated that the party “forced the Liberals” to stop selling arms to the Israeli government, support the International Court of Justice, and place sanctions on extremist settlers in the West Bank.
However none of the measures in the motion are mandatory, and many now mirror the existing policy of the Liberals.
B’nai Brith Canada expressed strong anger after the House passed the motion, describing it as an “unprecedented and appalling anti-Israel proposal.”
“Canada should not obstruct as Israel works to eliminate the terrorists who are hindering the establishment of a lasting peace,” the group’s director of government relations, David Granovsky, said in a statement.
Michael Chong, the Conservative foreign affairs critic, stated that his party supports a two-state solution, but it should result from negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives.
This 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.”
However, Melissa Lantsman, one of the Conservatives’ deputy leaders, said Joly’s statements left Canadians with a unclear understanding 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.
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 conflict began.
The government has not addressed 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 cautioned that independent recognition of Palestine would be “counter-productive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability, and would ultimately reward terrorism.”
A report of the call published by the Prime Minister’s Office made no reference to 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 exploring independent recognition of Palestine, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying it would maintain 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 conflict began when Hamas militants entered 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.
–With more information from Anja Karadeglija
The changed version now encourages Canada to seek the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution.
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.
–With additional reporting from Anja Karadeglija
