House of Representatives passed The New Democratic Party’s motion, tabled on Monday night, follows a last-minute amendment tabled by the ruling Liberal Party, which tabled a softened motion to no longer require the federal government to formally recognize the Palestinian state.
The original wording of the motion was softened, with one of the 14 amendments calling on the government to work towards “the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution”.
The vote on the non-binding motion was originally scheduled to take place around 7:30 p.m. ET, but there was confusion among lawmakers. Late in the evening, the Liberals moved to amend the motion by substituting a clause with recognition and a clause alluding to genocide. This point was emphasized by the NDP and angered some in the Jewish community.
Other amendments include calling Hamas a “terrorist organization,” affirming Israel’s right to defend itself, and requiring Hamas to release all hostages and surrender their weapons. It will be done.
In response to a question from Conservative MP Michael Chong, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said there were problems with the NDP’s non-binding motion to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The amended motion also calls for a halt to further arms transfers to Israel (instead of calling for an end to all sales of military equipment to Israel) and to step up efforts to stop illicit arms trafficking, including to Hamas. ing.
The amendment was tabled with support from the NDP after several rounds of behind-the-scenes debate.
Liberal Party officials told Radio-Canada that the party needs to lower the political temperature as public protests intensify, adding that immediate recognition of a Palestinian state raises questions about borders and that Canada would not be able to reach other countries. He said that he claimed that he would not be able to keep pace with the Japanese government. G7.
The House of Commons passed a softened New Democratic Party motion on Monday night that would no longer require the federal government to formally recognize the Palestinian state, following a last-minute amendment tabled by the ruling Freedom Party.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the night was an “embarrassment” and said an “11th hour” amendment process would not allow foreign policy to be shaped on the fly.
“This is a very serious issue and it’s very important that Canada shows leadership and gets it right,” Rempel Garner told CBC News ahead of the vote. “So what happened is exactly the opposite.”
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer said he would consider ruling on the motions out of sequence or give MPs more time to fully consider and “absorb” the motions due to what he called “major changes”. asked the Speaker to postpone the vote until tomorrow “at the very least” in order to This big change.
Following the vote, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said MPs were able to come together and find “common ground” on a situation that is “of great concern to Canadians.”
“That’s why it was important for us to work with many members of Congress and find broad consensus to ensure we send an important message to the world,” she said.
Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather, Ben Carr and Marco Mendecino voted against the motion.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a social media post that his party would end arms sales to the Israeli government, support both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and urge them to impose sanctions. “It was forced on the Liberal Party,” he said. About radical settlers.
“All Conservative MPs and some Liberal MPs tried to stop it and failed,” Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s not without its flaws.”
Joly said earlier Monday that the government would not base its foreign policy on the motion’s original objective of recognizing a Palestinian state.
“You cannot change foreign policy based on an opposition motion,” Jolie said during a debate in the House of Commons.
Following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip. The raid killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians but also included soldiers, police and security officials, and took hundreds of hostages, authorities said. He was taken to Gaza.
As of last week, Gaza health officials said more than 31,000 people had been killed and nearly 2 million more displaced by Israeli military operations.
Conservative foreign affairs commentator Michael Chong said the Conservatives were in favor of a two-state solution, but that it could not be achieved through a “unilateral declaration” in the House of Commons.
“That can only be achieved through a long and difficult process between the two parties at hand, the State of Israel and the Palestinian people’s representatives, which will take months, if not years,” he said, adding that the Palestinian representatives He added that he will continue to work hard. We must have the support of the people and we must renounce violence and terrorism.
Salma Zahid, the Liberal MP for Scarborough Centre, said Canadians are demanding action and urged her colleagues to vote in favor of the motion.
“Either we defend human rights everywhere and for everyone, or we don’t,” she told the House of Commons. “Let us tell the next generation that we were on the right side of history.”
In response to a question from a Bloc Quebecois MP, NDP’s Lindsay Mathissen said she and members of the community were “frustrated” that the government “seems to want to take sides in this conflict.” “I feel that,” he said.
Matthiessen, MP for London Fanshawe, said: “Ultimately we have to stop the violence before the conversation starts.”
Anthony Housefather, the Liberal MP for Mount Royal, said the motion would create a “false equivalence between the state of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas”.
