The ceasefire motion passed – so why is nobody happy?
People on all sides disappointed by political compromise
Monday was a day of high political drama in Ottawa, but the outcome left many unsatisfied.
After hours of negotiations that went down to the wire, Parliament voted in favour of an NDP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the end of arms shipments from Canada to Israel. A rare achievement for an opposition party.
It passed because the Liberals and the NDP reached a consensus on changes to the motion. The Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party voted for it, but not the Conservatives and a few Liberals.
It was a moment of unity, and the vote won worldwide attention. However, many on all sides of the debate are dissatisfied with the compromise motion.
Here’s what some are saying:
The pro-Israel B’nai Brith Canada was “outraged by the House of Commons’ decision Monday to adopt an unprecedented and appalling anti-Israel proposal introduced by the New Democratic Party.”
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said the resolution “rewards Hamas” because it creates “a false equivalency between the State of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.” He’s considering his future in the party after he and two other Liberal MPs voted against the motion.
On the other side, The Palestine Solidarity Network’s spokesperson lamented, “Parliament may not have voted for recognition of the State of Palestine,” but many Canadians did through the organization’s petitions.
The pro-Palestinian Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East released a video saying the NDP capitulated and “walked away with their tails between their legs.”
So why are groups on all sides upset?
The original motion written by the NDP urged Parliament to take a stronger stand against the war being waged by Israel in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.
While the Liberal government has joined international calls for a ceasefire, its policy on arms exports to Israel has been incoherent, and unilaterally recognizing “the State of Palestine,” as the NDP motion initially called for, was well beyond Liberal policy.
As the government’s Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, put it, Canada couldn’t change foreign policy based on an opposition party motion.
Still, the motion threatened to split the Liberals embarrassingly. Minister Joly and colleagues worked the corridors to change the motion. The final version of the motion, containing numerous changes, was introduced so quickly that there was no French translation available.
The Toronto Star reported that following the NDP’s agreement to soften the motion’s unilateral recognition of a state of Palestine, Foreign Affairs critic Heather McPherson had to break the news to disappointed pro-Palestinian supporters, “I’m not going to lie. I wish I could have delivered to them statehood for the Palestinian people,” she said.
Still, the NDP reportedly resisted the Liberals’ request to weaken the language regarding halting the arms trade with Israel. The NDP did not give much ground, and despite it being a non-binding motion on the government, the following day, Foreign Minister Joly announced she would not approve any more permits for arms exports to Israel.
Canada’s decision is grabbing headlines around the world
The Times of Israel headline read, “After non-binding motion, Canada to halt arms exports to Israel.” It went on to report Israel criticized the decision, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz saying it “undermines Israel’s right to self-defence against Hamas terrorists.”
“History will judge Canada’s current action harshly,” Minister Katz said in a post on social media platform X.
“History will judge Canada’s current action harshly.”
- Israel’s Foreign Minister
Experts say the prohibition on arms export permits merely brings Canada “closer to compliance with its arms control obligations.”
Banning future weapons exports at this point in the bloody conflict is like convincing a dangerous street racer to observe the posted speed limit.
Banning future weapons exports at this point in the bloody conflict is like convincing a dangerous street racer to observe the posted speed limit.
The good news is Canada’s announcement is gaining attention south of the border, where the staunchest of Israel’s allies, the United States, is considering limiting arms exports of its own.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that the Biden administration must follow Canada’s government in halting arms exports to Israel, saying the Canadian Parliament was “absolutely right” to vote to stop weapons exports to Israel, whose military has killed more than 31,800 people in Gaza in less than six months—often using explosives, ammunition, and other equipment supplied by the U.S., Canada, Germany, and other countries.
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Awards recognize conscientious objectors in Ukraine and Russia
This week, the International Peace Bureau handed out its 2023 Seán MacBride Peace Prize to three conscientious objector organizations.
Our House is a Belarusian civil society organization that helps Belarusian conscientious objectors, prevents children from being taken from their families for economic and political reasons, and responds to Belarusian army service issues.
In Russia, the Movement of Conscientious Objectors (MCO) or Движение Сознательных Отказчиков is a non-profit organization established in 2014 that aids young individuals in legally avoiding conscription into the military.
The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement was established in 2019 by activists involved in peaceful protests against conscription in Kyiv. The organization supports the right to refuse participation in war, ending the conflict in Ukraine, and striving for global peace.
An additional award was presented to Norwegian Tore Nærland, a visually impaired advocate for peace who leads an inspiring initiative riding a tandem bike to spread the message of peace.
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Thanks for everything you do for peace.
Steve