Palestinian Canadians meet with Trudeau in Toronto to demand Canada call for Gaza ceasefire

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had a "good and thoughtful conversation" in Toronto on Wednesday with a group of Palestinian-Canadians who have family members trapped in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

The group is demanding that Canada call for an immediate ceasefire in the war and for a safe humanitarian corridor to allow food and water into Gaza for its 2.2 million people and fuel for its hospitals.

Trudeau made no other comment following the hour-long meeting at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The prime minister was in Toronto for the first day of the Ontario Economic Summit, an annual event hosted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

Reem Sultan, a spokesperson for the group of Palestinian Canadians who says her entire family is in Gaza, said the prime minister listened to the group's demands but she is not sure what the outcome of meeting will be. She agreed that it was a good conversation.

"The next few days will tell how this meeting went," she said.

"There has been a change. And we're hoping for more for the thousands of children that have been murdered. For this craziness to stop, that's what we're looking for. We're looking for a complete ceasefire for the children, for the innocent children that are dying," she added.

"It was definitely a conversation. He was listening to our stories and sharing from his perspective."

Sultan said the group wants Canada to use its close relationship with Israel to push for the safe evacuation of Palestinian-Canadian families trapped in Gaza as it did and has been doing for Israeli-Canadians. She said her family members in Gaza have been told they cannot be guaranteed safety.

Global Affairs Canada said it is "aware of reports" of a Canadian citizen crossing from Gaza to Egypt after the Rafah border crossing opened on Wednesday to allow hundreds of foreign passport holders to leave the besieged territory for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago.

According to the federal government, there are more Canadians in the Gaza Strip than there are foreign nationals from many other countries.

Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees because of fears Israel will not allow them to return to Gaza after the war.

Sultan said communication has been "patchy" with her family members in Gaza.

"Sometimes we get through and sometimes we have no idea if they're dead or alive. It's been very, very difficult," she said.

"You can't sleep, you can't eat. You feel guilty taking a shower. You feel guilty sleeping because you have a house and you know that they don't have houses to go to."

The group also wants Trudeau to issue a public statement that supports the right of Canadians to protest and the right of Canadians to exercise their freedom of speech without fear of censorship. She said Trudeau should make it clear that these rights should be protected. 

In addition, the group wants the statement to indicate that Muslim Canadians should not be discriminated against in workplaces or school systems for speaking up in support of Palestinians.

Sultan said it is crucial for Trudeau for call for a ceasefire.

"Anything less than a ceasefire is simply unconscionable and indefensible," she said. "We are hoping that Canadians will stand up for human rights."

In a letter posted on X, formerly Twitter, the NDP caucus also called on Trudeau to call for a ceasefire, saying more than 100,000 Canadians have contacted the party to ask Canada to make the demand.

"We are profoundly alarmed by your refusal to call for a ceasefire," the letter reads.