OTTAWA—A majority of MPs voted Monday to support an NDP resolution calling on Canada to work “towards the establishment of the state of Palestine” after sweeping changes demanded by the Liberal government were made to allay fears it would be seen as an anti-Israel move.
The Liberals and NDP agreed late Monday to amend the motion to drop more controversial language recognizing the “state of Palestine” immediately. It is not binding on the government.
In the end, the motion passed in a 204-117 vote, with most Liberals, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, siding with the NDP, the Bloc Québécois, and the Greens supporting it.
Along with the Conservatives, three Liberals rejected the amendments with MPs Marco Mendicino, Anthony Housefather and Ben Carr objecting to the last-minute changes, saying there was no time to debate their substance.
An impassioned and highly politicized debate had unfolded on the floor of the House of Commons late Monday as MPs scrambled to understand the implications for Canada’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Fundamentally, though, the reworked resolution does not represent a major change to Canada’s long-standing position that recognition of Palestinian statehood should only come in a negotiated peace settlement with Israel, according to a senior government official.
The changes allowed the Liberal cabinet to support the motion. The original motion was seen as a unilateral declaration that Canada immediately supported an independent state of Palestine — something the official speaking on background said was unacceptable.
The new wording also swapped out a call to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology” and instead called on Canada to “cease the further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.”
The NDP claimed that was a victory. Leader Jagmeet Singh defended the last-minute changes, saying he was taking direction from communities allied with the Palestinian cause rather than trying to score a political win by pushing through the original motion.
“This is what the community asked us. The community said, ‘For us … instead of dividing the Liberals what’s more important for us is to get something passed that will change the policies of Canada,’ ” Singh told reporters late Monday.
“The fundamental changes that we want were to make sure that there was an end of the sale of arms to Israel. That is not something that Canada has ever said before. This motion will now be the will of the House and the government’s going to vote in favour of ending arms.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the consensus showed that Canada, a G7 country, was sending a message “to the world … that Canadians can be united on this issue.”
And yet, some groups reacted with dismay to the end result.
B’nai Brith expressed outrage, saying that the motion calls on Canada “to pressure Israel into agreeing to an ‘immediate’ ceasefire in its war with Hamas. Far from addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, the motion calls for measures that would help Hamas reclaim power in Gaza and resume attacks against Israeli civilians.”
“By adopting such a one-sided and irresponsible motion, the House has expressed an appalling degree of disregard for Israel’s right to defend itself,” said David Granovsky, spokesman for B’nai Brith Canada.
Dalida Alhaddad, a member of Canada’s Palestinian community who watched the votes unfold from the Commons’ public gallery, said she wished the motion had passed in its original form.
“There’s lots of changes I’m not completely satisfied with. But at least we’re getting something and it’s just the beginning,” Alhaddad told the Star. “This is just the start of a long fight.”
The latest agreement between the Liberals and NDP capped a whirlwind day where political tensions had run high on Parliament Hill. At a hastily called Liberal caucus meeting held virtually, hours ahead of Monday’s vote, Joly tried to explain the government’s position to a deeply divided group, the Star reported.
By early Monday afternoon, Joly stood in Parliament and indicated the government’s unease with the text of the original motion, which would effectively have Canada recognize statehood before any negotiation was even underway.
Canada’s support for a negotiated two-state solution that would recognize the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in security is unchanged, she said.
“The only way to reach peace and lasting security for Israeli and Palestinians is a negotiated political solution,” she said. Joly flagged the NDP motion had “issues” and said “we can’t change foreign policy on an opposition motion.”
The Conservatives had argued recognition of a Palestinian state was a move would simply “reward” the terrorist group Hamas for its Oct. 7 attacks, a view also held by Housefather, who said he would “strongly and forcefully oppose” the NDP motion which would “reverse 50 years of Canadian foreign policy.”
Late Monday afternoon, the Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau spoke to Benny Gantz, a retired Israeli army general and key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, and discussed with him the motion, a senior government official confirmed.
A Canadian readout summarizing their conversation said Trudeau “underscored the importance of renewing efforts toward a two-state solution to secure lasting peace in the region. He reiterated Canada’s support for the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, dignity, and security.”
Gantz posted on X”(formerly Twitter) a statement, opposing the “unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State,” and saying that “I expressed that unilateral recognition, particularly following the 7th of October, is counterproductive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability, and would ultimately reward terrorism. I reiterated to the PM that for the sake of the region, any unilateral actions should be avoided.”
A bevy of other Liberals, however, had publicly declared their intention to support the motion. MP Chris Bittle explained he’d vote in favour, saying while he was not comfortable with an immediate official state recognition, he supports all the other demands and interpreted the motion to mean the recognition shouldn’t happen until Hamas is gone and there is a negotiated two-state solution.
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The original motion included calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages who remain in Hamas captivity, supporting the prosecution of all violations of international law, imposing sanctions on Israeli officials “who incite genocide,” maintaining sanctions on Hamas leaders, and suspending military trade with Israel and stopping the illegal trade of arms to Hamas.
The new language added emphasis to positions the Liberals had already independently taken, which backed most of those other demands, such as resuming funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and engaging with the UN in its efforts to probe allegations that several staff members were implicated in Hamas’s October attack. Last week, the Star reported the Liberals have stopped approving applications for export licenses of military items to Israel amid concerns they might be used in human rights violations.
Joly on Monday confirmed no applications for so-called non-lethal material have been approved since Jan. 8, although she did not explain explicitly what the federal government’s concerns are.
She did say, however, that Canada is “deeply concerned by Israel’s plan for a ground military offensive” in Rafah in the south of Gaza, where “about 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge.”
“They have nowhere else to go,” said Joly.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage left 1,200 Israelis dead and around 250 others taken hostage, while Israel’s retaliatory bombardment is believed to have taken the lives of more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The federal Conservatives voted against the motion, with foreign affairs critic Michael Chong laying out the party’s opposition to anything that would give any ground to Hamas, or its claim to represent the Palestinian people.
Chong said Conservatives support Canada’s long-standing position of a two-state solution with a “state of Palestine living in peace and security and prosperity next to the State of Israel.”
“But this cannot be achieved through some sort of unilateral declaration in the House of Commons,” he said.
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman slammed the NDP motion, saying it is “not about a ceasefire” but “about rewarding Hamas” for its Oct. 7 attack. Lantsman said it would be “deeply irresponsible for this Parliament” to show such support, and said it shows the Liberal government is “held captive by its NDP overlords” in the House.
But the NDP says the Liberal government must step up its pressure on Israel.
“We’ve seen the complete failure of the international community to stop the unfolding carnage in Gaza. And we are dismayed by the failure of Canada’s Liberal government to stand up for what is right, for the rule of international law, for humanity, for peace,” said NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson in the House of Commons.
Earlier this month, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) launched an email campaign urging MPs to vote against the motion, arguing that it “threatens Canada’s values, foreign policy, and support for Israel, while rewarding Hamas with recognition and support for its murderous attack on Israel on October 7th.”
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, meanwhile, introduced a separate email blast that has seen more than 33,000 messages sent to MPs imploring them to vote in favour of the motion. The NDP also said that as of Monday, its digital campaign had delivered nearly 25,000 emails to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inbox from supporters of the motion.
McPherson said last month, when she introduced the motion, that it was time for Canada to act because a Palestinian state “has been recognized by 139 countries and it’s time for Canada to do more to build a peaceful resolution for the people of Palestine and the people of Israel.”
Bloc Québécois MP Stephane Bergeron explained the BQ supported the motion as a “a balanced approach to the overall situation we are facing right now.”
With files from Alex Ballingall
