More than 30 members of Parliament are calling on Canada to support an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas that has left thousands dead in two weeks.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, 33 MPs – 23 of whom are Liberals – say they “have a duty to be the voice of our constituents in Ottawa. And they, like all of us, have been watching with worry and with horror the events unfolding in Israel and in Gaza.”
The other signatories include members of the NDP and Green Party.
In their letter, the MPs “condemn the killing of innocent Israeli civilians … by the terrorist group Hamas,” adding that, “Violence and acts of terror are never the way to lasting peace and justice. We call for the release of all hostages.”
“Canada has long been a voice for peace. The longer this conflict goes on, the more innocent civilians will pay with their lives. We demand that Canada join the growing international call for an immediate ceasefire. Canada must act before more innocent children are killed,” the letter says.
The MPs also call on Canada to help open a humanitarian corridor and to “strongly stand up for international law,” namely to protect innocent civilians.
“Canada must recognize that, for generations, the Palestinian people have suffered under occupation. Canada must reaffirm its commitment to a free Palestinian state living peacefully alongside a free Israeli state and do all it can to bring the parties to the negotiating table.”
As chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship, I worked with vice-chairs @alexboulerice and @ElizabethMay to send a letter from 33 MPs to the Prime Minister demanding Canada support a cease fire to save innocent civilian lives in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. pic.twitter.com/8bgeKe5Siv
Hamas, which rules Gaza, launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, which to date has left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, The Associated Press reports. Around 200 people have also been taken hostage.
The Canadian government has designated Hamas as a terrorist entity for more than two decades.
Israel has responded to the attack with airstrikes, a siege that has cut off food, water and electricity to Gaza and ordered residents in the north to move south ahead of an expected ground offensive.
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas came to power.
The Associated Press says more than 4,100 people have been killed in Gaza, citing the Health Ministry run by Hamas. The figure includes a disputed number of people who died in a hospital explosion earlier this week, although some estimates are that hundreds were killed.
Appearing on CTV’s Power Play on Friday, Liberal MP Salma Zahid, who chairs the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group, said it is important that Canada do whatever it can to protect civilians.
“As a mother, it is really very difficult for me to see those videos and pictures coming out seeing the loss of innocent kids,” she said. “So the longer this conflict goes on, more innocent civilians will have paid with their lives.”
Asked multiple times about Israel’s right to defend itself, something Trudeau and other leaders have highlighted since the conflict began, Zahid said in part that “wars also have rules.”
“Anything against the international law should not happen, like the lives of the civilians should be protected,” she said. “It is really very important. What we are seeing is the innocent children are being killed.”
Speaking to reporters in Brampton, Ont., Friday during a funding announcement on housing, Trudeau responded to a question on whether his caucus is divided over Canada’s response to the war.
“Everyone is hurt and hurting, everyone is grieving, everyone is scared of what this means right now, in terms of whether you can send your kids to school safely or whether you’re going to be harassed walking in the streets or shouted at on a university campus. And they’re scared about what this might mean around the world, in the region and elsewhere,” he said.
“People are worried, people are scared, and Canadians of all backgrounds who are represented in Parliament are reflecting the very real fears and concerns that everyone has.”
Trudeau added that as parliamentarians their job is not only to speak for their constituents but also “reassure everyone that this is Canada, and here our differences must and will remain a source of strength.”
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
