Trudeau, Joly head to Francophonie as war tensions engulf Middle East

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly are expected to speak to representatives of Lebanon's government at the high-profile Francophonie summit, as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow the official agenda for this annual gathering of leaders from French-speaking states.

Trudeau and Joly are on their way to France this morning for the summit, which will take place over Friday and Saturday.

Lebanon is a member of the 88-member Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. On Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah, in an attack on a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Israeli air strikes in that region have also claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry — including two Lebanese-Canadians.

On Tuesday, Israel launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, triggering fears of a larger war in the Middle East.

Trudeau took part in an early-morning call with other G7 leaders on Wednesday. He later told journalists all of the leaders on the call condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel earlier in the week and called it a "destabilizing action" by a terrorist regime that runs "the risk of a wider war."

"We have to continued to do everything we can to call for peace and stability, which means calling for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and getting again back on track for a two-state solution where a peaceful, secure, stable Israeli state is living alongside a peaceful, secure stable Palestinian state," Trudeau said.

"Israel has a right to defend itself following this unprecedented attack," Joly said. "We need to make sure that there's not a full-scale war."

Quebec's immigration demands could come up at summit

A domestic dispute brewing between the Quebec government and the federal government over immigration could also  take up some of the conversation at the summit.

Radio-Canada reported earlier this week that Quebec Premier François Legault has been asking Ottawa to establish temporary shelters for asylum seekers, including waiting zones at ports of entry.

In a July 22 letter, Legault cited France as an example, noting the country places some migrants in secure zones if they're refused entry, feeding and sheltering them for 26 days while their cases are decided.

Legault said he would ask French officials questions about their methods while he travels this week. Quebec is also a full-fledged member of the Francophonie.

But federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Canada's immigration system is very different from that of France and poured cold water on Quebec's idea.

"If you look at what's happening in France, there's a process whereby they at times can hold some of the people up to a month," Miller said. "That would pose legal challenges in Canada." 

The minister also said any shelter measures would have to be humanitarian in nature. "There's a lot of politics that's driving this," Miller said. "I think this is ... rhetoric that I think [Legault] can weaponize for his own political process."

Trudeau has met Legault for one-on-one meetings at Francophonie summits both leaders have attended, such as the one in Tunisia in 2022.

The summit's official agenda includes discussions of applications to join the organization. The province of Nova Scotia has applied for observer status.

A release from Trudeau's office says other priorities for him at the summit include promoting gender equality, climate action and international economic co-operation.