The war between Israel and Hamas creates two challenges for Justin Trudeau, as it would for any Canadian prime minister.
First, he must try to take and hold a principled position on a dire conflict. Second, he must try to hold together a country whose citizens are understandably agonized by the death and destruction.
The strain of both those tasks only becomes more apparent with each passing day. Within 24 hours of Trudeau’s remarks on the conflict Tuesday, Trudeau was heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters inside a Vancouver restaurant for what he didn’t say — and scolded online by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he did say.
Trudeau shouted out of Vancouver restaurant by protesters
Featured VideoFacing criticism from all sides for Canada’s position on the Israel-Hamas war, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was shouted out of a Vancouver restaurant by pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied to Trudeau on social media after he sharpened his tone against Israel in a speech.
Trudeau’s five-minute statement on Tuesday — delivered in the middle of an announcement of federal support for a new battery facility in British Columbia — began with comments and arguments he has offered before. The “human tragedy” unfolding in the Gaza Strip is “heart wrenching,” he said, and the “price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”
“Even wars have rules,” he added. “All innocent life is equal in worth — Israeli and Palestinian.”
He later condemned Hamas’s use of human shields and called for the release of all hostages. He cited Hamas’s threat to launch repeated attacks like the one it carried out on October 7.
Trudeau says killing of innocents in Gaza must stop
Featured VideoIsrael must use ‘maximum restraint’ to protect civilian life as it wages war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, saying ‘the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians.’ He also said Hamas must stop using civilians as human shields, and that all hostages taken from Israel must be released immediately and unconditionally.
He called again for a “humanitarian pause” and unfettered access to humanitarian aid. He expressed a hope that a sustained pause would create the conditions for peace.
He denounced recent incidents of antisemitic violence in Montreal and elsewhere. He called on Canadians to “remember who we are” and to be there for each other.
But what seems to have drawn the ire of Netanyahu and others is a portion of Trudeau’s remarks that began with a call for Israel to exercise “maximum restraint.”
“Because the world is watching,” the prime minister said. “On TV, on social media, we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who’ve lost their parents. The world is witnessing this. The killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.”
Netanyahu rebuffs Trudeau’s call for ‘maximum restraint’ in Israel-Hamas war
Featured VideoNov. 15, 2023 – ‘It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable,’ said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tweet to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday. Power & Politics speaks to a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. Plus, no Canadians were on the list to leave Gaza today. Canada’s ambassador to Egypt responds to criticism about delays at the Rafah crossing.
Though it’s hard to argue with anyone’s desire for an end to violence, Trudeau did not say how the violence should stop or under what terms. Some interpreted his comments as an attempt to blame Israel for the war. But Trudeau also could argue that he was merely saying things that are objectively true. Women and children are being killed. The world is watching.
Trudeau not alone in worrying about civilian deaths
Some of Trudeau’s words resembled comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron four days earlier in an interview with the BBC. But Macron, who has called for a ceasefire, went further.
“It’s impossible to explain, ‘We want to fight against terrorism by killing innocent people,'” the French leader said.
Netanyahu was also unhappy with Macron’s comments. The next day, in conversations with other Israeli officials, Macron apparently “reiterated” Israel’s right to defend itself.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, listens to Benny Gantz in Jerusalem on Oct. 24, 2023. (Christophe Ena/Associated Press)
On Wednesday, it was Trudeau’s turn to talk with Benny Gantz, the Netanyahu rival and critic who joined Israel’s war cabinet after last month’s attack. According to the official account, Trudeau similarly “reaffirmed” Israel’s right to self-defence.
Macron and Trudeau’s conversations with Gantz may have been about damage control. They also may have also gotten a point across — an important one.
Israel’s allies might accept its right to defend itself and hold Hamas responsible for inciting this war and putting civilians in harm’s way. But how much death is acceptable, tolerable or justified, even in self-defence? That is the question that weighs on Israel and every country that calls it a friend.
Palestinians rescue survivors after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza Strip on Nov. 17, 2023. (Hatem Ali/The Associated Press)
This isn’t merely a moral question — it’s also a strategic one. Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group argued this week that Israel’s response to Oct. 7 has played into Hamas’s hands.
Opinion polling suggests there is significant support in Canada for some kind of ceasefire — either permanent or temporary. So Trudeau could argue his words are broadly in line with public sentiment. It’s at least as notable that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was not among those condemning the prime minister’s comments this week.
But this is not an issue that can be resolved with a simple poll.
‘My job … is to help bring Canadians back together’
When Trudeau was pressed on Tuesday to explain why he hasn’t called for a ceasefire, he pivoted and focused on the situation in Canada.
The question to ask, he said, isn’t whether “this magic solution or that magic solution said by a Canadian prime minister [is] suddenly going to bring peace to the Middle East overnight.”
Rather, he said, “this is about us remembering that when a kid feels scared to go to school in the morning because of their religion, because of their ethnicity,” it’s the responsibility of all Canadians to speak up.
“My biggest concern is how we bring Canadians together,” Trudeau said.
That effort starts, he said, “with listening to each other.”
Trudeau has now offered extended comments on this theme several times over the past week and a half. The ideals of pluralism and multiculturalism have animated some of Trudeau’s most forceful statements — and his calls now to reject prejudice and overcome differences seem like an extension of that.
Speaking to reporters at the APEC summit in San Francisco on Friday, Trudeau said his “job, as Canadian prime minister, is to help bring Canadians back together.
“To understand that, if Canadians can’t figure out how to get along and remember to be compassionate and empathetic towards each other, then where in the world is there a solution for the conflict and the tensions in the Middle East going to come [from]?”
Talk of bringing Canadians together can seem simplistic, trite or pro forma. But 44 years ago, former Progressive Conservative leader Robert Stanfield was dispatched to the Middle East on behalf of Joe Clark; among the recommendations he came back with was a simple call for more “dialogue.”
“In Canada a dialogue between Jewish and Arab groups would be highly desirable,” Stanfield wrote.
In addition to promoting public understanding, he said, dialogue might create a “sounder and healthier foundation” for Canadian foreign policy. Stanfield conceded it would require “patience and willingness to persist” through possible “misunderstandings,” but “such a dialogue seems to me nevertheless to be an important contribution that these groups of Canadians can make to the Middle East and Canada.”
Canada is not completely bereft of dialogue at the moment — consider the joint letter recently authored by Muslim and Jewish law students at the University of Ottawa.
But if it’s fair to ask the government about its position on the war — and if it’s fair to expect that leaders condemn bigotry and protect Canadians from harm — it’s also fair to ask what can be done to promote the sort of dialogue and compassion both the world and Canada need more than ever now.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman as the team captain on Wednesday as training camp opened, making the big defenseman the successor to Steven Stamkos.
Hedman, who is going into his 16th season with Tampa Bay, was considered the obvious choice to get the “C” after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left to join Nashville.
“Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL,” general manager Julien BriseBois said. “Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
The 33-year-old from Sweden was a key contributor in the Lightning hoisting the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21, including playoff MVP honors on the first of those championship runs. Hedman also took home the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting five other seasons.
Ryan McDonagh, who was reacquired early in the offseason in a trade with the Predators, and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains with the Lightning moving on to the post-Stamkos era.
TORONTO – While Toronto FC is looking to improve its position on the pitch, general manager Jason Hernandez is trying to do the same off it.
That has been easier said than done this season.
Sending winger Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty to CF Montreal for up to $1.3 million (all dollar figures in U.S. funds) in general allocation money before the secondary transfer window closed in early August helped set the stage for future moves.
But there have been plenty of obstacles, which Hernandez has been working to clear.
“We feel a lot more confident going into this upcoming off-season that we did the one prior,” said Hernandez. “There’s a level of what I would say booby-traps that were uncovered when I first got the (GM) role at the end of last summer.”
The club is paying off departed forwards Adam Diomande and Ayo Akinola as well as a $500,000 payment due in 2024 to Belgium’s Anderlecht for Jamaican international defender Kemar Lawrence. That payment was part of the transfer fee for Lawrence, who joined TFC from Anderlecht in May 2021 and was traded to Minnesota United in March 2022.
Diomande was waived while Akinola’s contract was terminated by mutual agreement.
“That comes to an end in ’25, which is nice,” said Hernandez. “We had to suffer from a salary cap perspective this season. But those things coming off, the Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty money coming in, we’re going to be in a position to make some good additions, which is positive.”
While MLS clubs are allowed one contract buyout per year, Toronto had already used its on former captain Michel Bradley, who retired after last season. Bradley had previously restructured his contract, deferring money.
TFC’s only other move during the summer transfer window was the signing of free-agent defender Henry Wingo. Hernandez said the club knew going into the window that it was likely limited to the one acquisition “unless other business happened”
“We knew we had this bucket of money and we knew we were going to go get Henry,” said Hernandez.
While the sale of the highly touted Marshall-Rutty opened up other possibilities, it came on the eve of the transfer window closing. And the team did not like what it saw in the free-agent market.
“A lot of the opportunities we were presented in the free agency space felt more like a short-term, Band-Aid decision versus what actually the club probably needs.”
Hernandez was not willing to take in players who came with a “club-friendly” salary cap charge in 2024 and a much bigger number in 2025.
Instead, Toronto promoted forward Charlie Sharp and wingback Nate Edwards to the first team from TFC 2 ahead of last Friday’s roster freeze.
MLS teams are operating on a salary budget of $5.47 million this season, which covers up to 20 players on the senior roster (clubs can elect to spread that number across 18 players). But the league has several mechanisms that allow those funds to go further, including using allocation money (both general and targeted) to buy down salaries.
Designated players only count $683,750 — the maximum salary charge — against the cap no matter their actual pay. Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne is actually earning $15.4 million with fellow Italian Federico Bernardeschi collecting $6.295 million and Canadian Richie Laryea $1.208 million.
Hernandez says Laryea’s contract can — and “very likely” will — be restructured so as to remove the designated player status.
There are benefits in going with just two designated players rather than three.
Teams that elect to go with two DPs can sign up to four players as part of the league’s “U22 Initiative.” The pluses of that structure include a reduced salary cap charge for the young players and up to an extra $2 million in general allocation money.
Hernandez says the club is currently pondering whether that is the way to go.
Captain Jonathan Osorio who is earning $836,370 this season, restructured his deal to allow the team to sign Laryea as a DP. In doing so, Osorio had his option year guaranteed so his contact runs through 2026.
Hernandez and coach John Herdman will have decisions to make come the end of the year.
The contracts of goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh ($94,200), defenders Kevin Long ($277,500), Shane O’Neill ($413,000) and Kobe Franklin ($100,520), midfielder Alonso Coello ($94,050) and Brandon Servania ($602,710), and forward Prince Owusu ($807,500) — all on the club’s senior roster — expire at the end of 2024 with club options to follow.
While there is more work to do, Hernandez believes TFC is on the right road.
Toronto, which finished last in the league at 4-20-10 in 2023, went into Wednesday’s game against visiting Columbus in a playoff position at eighth in the East at 11-15-3.
“By every metric, we are miles ahead of where we were at this point last year,” said Hernandez.
“That’s a low bar, so that’s not saying much,” he added.
But he believes TFC is “quite competitive” when it has all its players at its disposal.
“To get results in this final stretch, we’re going to need our prominent players to really show up and have big performances, and be supported by the rest of the cast.”
After Columbus, TFC plays at Colorado and Chicago and hosts the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami. The club also travels to Vancouver for the Canadian Championship final.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024
Mackenzie Hughes might just be what the International team needs as this year’s Presidents Cup.
Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., is one of three Canadians on the squad competing in the match-play event at Royal Montreal Golf Club next week.
His putting skills, cool demeanour under pressure, pre-existing connections with teammates and clubhouse leadership could help the team — made up of non-American players outside Europe — end a nine-tournament losing skid to the United States at the biennial event.
“I’ve had this one circled on the calendar for a few years now,” said Hughes on joining fellow Canadians Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners as captain’s picks on the 12-player International team. “I pretty much knew that when it was announced the tournament would be in Canada and that Mike Weir was going to be the captain, you pretty much knew where that was going to go.
“To get that call from (Weir) is really special because he’s the guy that I looked up to, we all looked up to, as Canadian golfers.”
Pendrith and Conners are returning to the team after a disappointing 17 1/2 to 12 1/2 loss to the United States at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. in 2022.
Hughes was ranked 14th on the International team standings in 2022 and could have easily been included on that squad after Australia’s Cameron Smith and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann were ruled ineligible after jumping ship to the rival LIV Golf circuit.
However, captain Trevor Immelman of South Africa instead chose the lower ranked Christiaan Bezuidenhout (16th) of South Africa, Pendrith (18th), South Korea’s Kim Si-woo (20th) and Australia’s Cameron Davis (25th).
“I certainly wanted to be on that team but also I understood the picks,” said Hughes, who lives in Charlotte and plays at Quail Hollow regularly. “I think that like a lot of guys that don’t get picked you more so look back on your own play and I wish I had made that selection easier for them.
“I didn’t do myself any favours in the six weeks leading up to it and that’s a hard pill to swallow.”
It may have been a costly oversight on Immelman’s part, as finishing holes was an issue for the International team in 2022 and Hughes is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. This season he’s third in shots gained around the green and fifth in shots gained from putting.
“It doesn’t mean that just because I was there it would have turned the tide, but I’d like to think maybe I could have helped,” said Hughes. “That’s why you play the matches. You have to get out there and do it.”
This year Hughes made it easier for Weir, the Canadian golf legend from Brights Grove, Ont., to choose him. Hughes is 51st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings and has made the cut seven tournaments in a row, including a tie for fourth at last week’s Procore Championship.
“Mac played very solidly all year. Really like his short game, an all-around short game,” said Weir on Sept. 3 after announcing his captain’s picks. “He’s one of the elite and best short game guys on the PGA Tour
“I also love Mac’s grit. So that was the reason I picked him.”
Hughes’s intangible qualities go beyond grit.
He, Pendrith and Conners will arrive at Royal Montreal as a unit within the International squad, having become close friends while playing on Kent State University’s men’s golf team before turning pro. They’re also part of a group of Canadians, including Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., that regularly practice together before PGA Tour events.
“To have those guys with me is really icing on the cake, it’s very special,” said Hughes. “Opportunities like this don’t come around very often: to play this kind of team competition, which is already hard to do, but to play with some of your best friends, it almost seems scripted.”
An 11-year professional, Hughes has also been a member of the PGA Tour’s player advisory council the past two years and has been an outspoken advocate for making professional golf more accessible to fans.
Although Weir relied heavily on analytics to make his captain’s selections, Hughes’s character came up again and again when asked why he was named to the team.
“I just have a gut feeling with Mac that he has what it takes in these big moments,” said Weir. “They’re big pressure moments, and I have a feeling he’s going to do great in those moments.”
DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., continues his chase for a spot in the Europe-based DP World Tour’s playoffs. The top 50 players on the Race to Dubai standings make the DP World Tour Championship and Cockerill moved eight spots up to 39th in the rankings after tying for ninth at last week’s Irish Open. He’ll be back at it on Thursday at the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.
KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is ranked 38th on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list. He leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. He’ll be joined at Ohio State University Golf Club — Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio by Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (53rd), Etienne Papineau (65th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (99th) of Mississauga, Ont.
CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is the lone Canadian at this week’s Pure Insurance Championship. He’s No. 2 on the senior circuit’s points list. The event will start Friday and be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Monterey, Calif.
LPGA TOUR — There are four Canadians in this week’s Kroger City Championship. Savannah Grewal (97th in the Race to CME Globe Rankings) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (115th), and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (142nd) of Sherbrooke, Que., will all tee it up at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio.
EPSON TOUR — Vancouver’s Leah John is the low Canadian heading into the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. She’s 54th in the second-tier tour’s points list. She’ll be joined by Maddie Szeryk (118th) of London, Ont., and Brigitte Thibault (119th) of Rosemere, Que., at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Ark.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
