A Canadian humanitarian organization says its key water-aid truck was bombed in Gaza this week, and the federal government now says it has contacted the Israeli government for “more information” on the incident.
Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening that the government reached out to Israel after hearing that the truck operated by the International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) had been bombed.
“The rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for Palestinian people is critical. Upon hearing that IDRF Canada’s water truck had been bombed, my office reached out to them and we have contacted the Israeli government for more information on the incident,” Hussen said, calling attacks on humanitarian aid workers and operations “unacceptable.”
The response comes after the aid agency called on Ottawa to mount a full investigation into what it believes was a “targeted” incident. The IDRF, a registered non-profit based in Toronto, told CBC News that the incident is believed to be the first bombing of a Canadian aid truck during the current war in Gaza.
“It’s hard not to see this as further targeting of the international aid community,” Zeina Osman, the IDRF’s director of impact, told CBC News on Friday night. The organization wouldn’t say outright if it believes the Israeli military was responsible and is calling on the Canadian government to investigate.
‘It makes absolutely no sense’: Charity demands answers after water truck bombing
IDRF chief operating officer Nabil Ali wants the Canadian government to investigate after the charity’s primary water aid truck was bombed in Gaza.
The truck was bombed in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the relief agency said. It was parked outside the Tuffah district in the northern part of Gaza at the time, and was clearly marked with the organization’s name and a maple leaf, it added.
CBC News asked Global Affairs Canada how it will ensure that information from Israel on the incident is accurate and whether it will provide its own investigators. Hussen’s office did not address those questions in its response.
‘Humanitarian principles are not being upheld’: agency
The incident came just over two weeks after Israel admitted that it mistakenly struck a World Central Kitchen convoy, killing seven aid workers, including dual Canada-U.S. citizen Jacob Flickinger.
IDRF chief operating officer Nabil Ali said Friday that the agency had notified Global Affairs Canada about the bombing but had not received a response at the time.
“We’re looking for the Canadian government’s support,” he said. “At a minimum, the government has to … investigate what happened to understand exactly how this could happen to a Canadian aid agency providing services on the ground.”
In response to Hussen’s post, the agency replied on X that it awaits the report from the Israeli government.
CBC News has contacted Israel’s Ministry of Defence for comment.
Ali said the aid truck had been out Tuesday delivering water. When IDRF workers returned to it Wednesday morning, they found it had been destroyed, he said.
“It was a shock to the whole team, and we’re very, very thankful that no one on our team was hurt by it. But it really has shaken us up and we’re really worried about what the future holds for us right now,” he said.
“We would question why a water tank that provides clean drinking water was bombed. It makes absolutely no sense.
“The basics of humanitarian principles are not being upheld and that’s a real issue.”
Canada must demand ‘real accountability’: NDP
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called on the federal government to “demand an independent investigation and real accountability” following the incident.
“This cannot continue and it cannot be normalized,” he said in a post Saturday on X, formerly Twitter.
Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi threw his support behind that call in a post on X Saturday evening, though the federal government itself had not yet commented.
“An independent investigation is needed. Humanitarian organizations must never be targets,” he said in part.
As of last week, Canada would not say if it is still pursuing further investigations into the airstrike on the World Central Kitchen convoy. Global Affairs has not responded, nor has it said whether it wishes to involve its own investigators in any probe, or to have direct access to the Israeli soldiers involved.
Singh’s call for Canada to act echoed that of NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson a day earlier.
“A Canadian charity’s water truck was bombed in Gaza. Attacks on humanitarians continue. @MelanieJoly, what actions are you taking to end this horror?” she said on X.
Ontario Liberal MP Salma Zahid also commented on X, calling the incident “disappointing and devastating news.”
“Water is life, and access to clean drinking water is a life-saving issue for millions in Gaza. Humanitarian groups like @IDRFcanada are doing vital work and all parties to conflict have an obligation to ensure their protection.”
The IDRF says the truck was paid for by Canadian donor dollars and that thousands in Gaza will be without water as a result of the bombing. (Submitted by IDRF)
Late last month, the top United Nations court ordered Israel to open more land crossings to allow supplies including food, water and fuel into the war-ravaged enclave, where 2.3 million civilians — more than half of whom are estimated to be displaced by the fighting — face crippling shortages of necessities.
The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its military campaign in Gaza, launched after the deadly Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Israel stringently denies it is committing genocide. It says its military campaign is one of self-defence and urged the court not to issue new orders.
Incident ‘may not be the last,’ says aid agency
Ali said the water truck was paid for entirely from Canadian donor dollars, and that thousands will be without water as a result of the bombing.
“That truck was a staple in providing people with clean drinking water on a daily basis,” he said.
The relief agency said on X that over the last six months, the truck delivered clean drinking water to tens of thousands, “serving as a lifeline” in northern and central Gaza.
It also said it will continue to operate, albeit with smaller tanks, which will make delivering aid more difficult — and reiterated calls for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
“This incident shows the dangers that humanitarian workers face every day. It’s not the first time aid workers have been targeted in this crisis, and sadly, it may not be the last,” it said.
“We refuse to accept a reality where delivering life-saving aid comes at such a devastating cost.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
