Justice Minister Arif Viran and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen say they support the government’s response to Trump’s proposal
Article content
OTTAWA — Two federal cabinet ministers and several Liberal MPs have signed their names to a statement condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza into neighbouring Arab countries as “ethnic cleansing.”
Article content
Article content
Justice Minister Arif Virani and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen say they also back their government’s response that Canada supports two states, Israel and Palestinian.
Advertisement 2
Article content
But they were among nine Liberal MPs from the party’s Muslim caucus who signed a document released after Trump said the U.S. would take “ownership” of the territory. Gaza has been devastated by a war with Israel that started when Hamas, which governs the coastal strip, sent terrorists into southern Israel in October 2023 on a bloody killing and kidnapping spree. Hamas has been listed as a terrorist entity in Canada for more than 20 years.
The statement, released late Wednesday, says the proposal from Trump to move Palestinians from the territory is not only “preposterous and a complete violation of international law,” but that it “amounts to ethnic cleansing.”
“We condemn it categorically and call upon the Government of Canada to do so as well.”
It goes on to say the only way to achieve peace is through a “two-state solution,” adding “the Gaza strip is an integral part of a future State of Palestine.”
Recommended from Editorial
-
Canadian politicians are literally praying in Washington as they try to stop a trade war
-
Raymond J. de Souza: What Reagan would say about the Trump insanity
Other Liberal MPs who signed to the letter include Montreal MP Sameer Zuberi, Vancouver’s Taleeb Noormohamed and Salma Zahid, who represents Scarborough Centre.
First Reading
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
Fatema Abdalla, an advocacy officer with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said in an interview on Thursday they want Canada to take a stronger stand against Trump’s plan, which she also called “ethnic cleansing.”
“What’s important is that Canada strongly and firmly stand against what Donald Trump has proposed, and we have not yet seen that,” she said.
“We’ve seen multiple MPs and ministers address the issue and echo our calls for Canada to strongly and firmly condemn the stance that Donald Trump has planned and laid out. We’ll keep calling for Canada to stand firmly against Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza and their right to call it a betrayal of international law.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly released her own statement about the proposal, posting on X Wednesday that “Canada’s longstanding position on Gaza has not changed” and that it was “committed to achieving a two-state solution,” where Hamas, a designated terrorist entity in Canada, has no governance role in Gaza.
Her statement does not mention of the term “ethnic cleansing” which refers to the forced or violent removal of people from a particular ethnic or religious group from a specific territory.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Trump has talked of turning Gaza over to the United States and resettling Palestinians into other Arab countries, but had not suggested using force or violence.
Arab nations and Palestinians have roundly rejected his pitch, with Egypt warning it would trigger further unrest in the region. By Thursday, Israel said it had begun working on a plan for Palestinians to leave Gaza.
Joly’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment about whether it agreed that Trump’s plan was “ethnic cleansing.”
On Thursday, Liberal MP Arielle Kayabaga added her voice to calls for the Liberals to more forcefully condemn the U.S. president’s proposal, releasing her own statement where she also said it amounts to “ethnic cleansing.”
A spokeswomen for Virani says the justice minister agrees with the Liberal government’s position.
“As a member of the government, Minister Virani supports Canada’s longstanding position on Gaza and echoes Minister Joly’s statement that we support the Palestinian right to self-determination, including from being forcibly displaced from Gaza,” wrote Chantalle Aubertin.
Advertisement 5
Article content
Asked whether the minister still believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing or has raised the issue with Joly, she said his office has “no further comment at this time.”
Olivia Batten, a spokeswoman for Hussen, also said his office had nothing to add.
“For the official position of the Government of Canada on this issue, please refer to the tweet by Melanie Joly.”
While Trump’s comments reverberated across the Middle East and among Arabs across North America, some White House officials have since tried to clarify his comments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would only seek to temporarily remove the roughly two million Palestinians living in Gaza.
However, on Thursday Trump reiterated his proposal in a statement on X, saying “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.”
He added that “The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities,” and that “No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!”
Other Liberal MPs, including cabinet ministers, have also reacted to Trump’s proposal.
Advertisement 6
Article content
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks posted on X “that Canada’s longstanding position on Gaza remains,” echoing the need for a “two-state solution” with both Israelis and Palestinians deserving of “the right to self-determination.”
Winnipeg Liberal MP Ben Carr released a statement referring to Trump’s suggestion “that Gaza be turned into a vacation destination with the removal of the entire population” as “abhorrent.”
Trump, in his initial comments, suggested Gaza could be transformed into “Rivera of the Middle East.”
“We need to focus on a path to peace that protects and defends both peoples’ rights to self-determination. This proposed policy is shameful, works against those stated goals, and deserves to be called out,” Carr added.
Toronto MP Rob Oliphant, who serves as Joly’s parliamentary secretary on foreign affairs posted to X that “the land called Gaza belongs to Palestinians,” adding that Greenland and Canada also belong to their residents. Trump has mused about annexing both.
“And, oh yes, the land called Ukraine belongs to Ukrainians,” Oliphant wrote.
Advertisement 7
Article content
–With additional reporting from The Associated Press
National Post
staylor@postmedia.com
Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Article content
-
Tineco Floor One S5 vacuum review: Cleans floors in a flash
This sleek floor cleaner is even husband-approved
4 hours ago Home
-
Advertisement 2
-
The best Amazon deals in Canada right now
Take advantage of these Amazon Canada deals before they’re gone
-
Riverboat adventure offers rare glimpse at life in the Peruvian Amazon
Discovering remote villages, wildlife and untamed beauty on an expedition through the jungle
-
The best online deals in the Canadian retail space right now
Moose Knuckles, YETI, Pandora and DESIGNME, to name a few
-
Winter running gear to power through Canada’s coldest months
Testing Nike, Merrell, Arc’teryx, lululemon, Columbia shoes, jackets and more
#Liberal #ministers #accuse #Trump #plan #ethnic #cleansing #Gaza #letter
Leave a Reply