The Bloc Québécois is changing its tune. He joins his voice to those of the New Democratic Party and around twenty Liberal MPs who implore Ottawa to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
A few days after declaring that such a proposal was “not realistic”, the Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet, indicated Monday that his party supports the request of the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, for a truce “so that humanitarian aid can be delivered” and suggests that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “do the same”.
“This is in fact a multilateral and temporary ceasefire to be respected by Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah,” Mr. Blanchet wrote in a statement co-signed with his foreign affairs spokespersons. , national defense and human rights.
Last week, Mr. Blanchet instead insisted on “the need to neutralize Hamas” and said he did not see how a ceasefire could occur.
“Everyone wants a ceasefire. I want a ceasefire. […] How can we not want a ceasefire? […] I’m just saying that, for the moment, saying it for the sake of saying it is a posture that is perhaps not realistic,” he declared.
The Canadian “balance”
Faced with growing pressure from elected officials from her own party, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, explained, a few hours earlier, that Canada wants to demonstrate balance in its positions.
“I hear the position of several of my colleagues. I hear the fact that Canadians expect Canada to play a role that is balanced and at the same time a role that is based on our position which has always been that of being a constructive player, friend and ally of ‘Israel, friend of the Palestinian people,’ she said at a press conference.
The minister described the images coming from Gaza as “catastrophic”. It is currently “one of the worst places to live in the world,” she said.
Mme Joly, who spoke from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, added that this is why she is increasing the number of meetings with her counterparts. She discusses both the “protection of civilians”, but also achieving “more peace and stability in the region”.
The NDP keeps up the pressure
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also tried to increase pressure on the Liberal government.
His office shared with the media on Monday a letter sent the day before to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau along the lines of the one signed Friday by 33 elected officials, including 23 Liberal backbenchers, imploring him to call for a cease-fire. fire to end violence in the Middle East.
“A growing number of MPs are calling on you to advocate for a ceasefire. These elected officials, including some from your own party, are adding their voices to a growing number of international calls,” Mr. Singh wrote in his own missive to Mr. Trudeau.
He requests an “emergency meeting” with the Prime Minister which would aim to “discuss how we can work together to end the violence with a ceasefire, get Canadians out of the region, ensure the safe return of all hostages and insist that international law be respected.”
When Mr. Singh was asked last week if such a position is realistic in the current context, he replied that it is “humanist” and “compassionate”.
“Because we are in a situation where, if the violence continues, we will have more deaths, more destruction,” he argued. This is why we demand that all the hostages be released and a ceasefire can save lives. »
Asked last Friday about the divergent points of view within his caucus, Mr. Trudeau noted that the role of parliamentarians is to “reflect the concerns and hopes of their community.”
The conservatives, for their part, argue that “Israel has the right to defend itself” while respecting international humanitarian law, said the lieutenant for Quebec, Pierre Paul-Hus.
Does Israel respect them? “It’s one of the things that, I think, the government is having discussions with partners. »
Mr. Trudeau had a telephone discussion on Sunday with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , Rishi Sunak.
With information from Émilie Bergeron and Dylan Robertson