Trudeau says he supports 'humanitarian pauses' to allow aid to flow into Gaza
More than 30 Liberal and opposition MPs have called on the government to advocate for a ceasefire
Canada would support "humanitarian pauses" in the Israel-Hamas war to allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza and permit aid for civilians to enter the territory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
"Our priority throughout this needs to be the continued protection of innocent civilians. That's why we're engaged closely with our allies, trying to build humanitarian corridors," Trudeau told reporters.
"There's a lot of conversations going on now about the need for humanitarian pauses and I think that's something that Canada could absolutely … support."
Trudeau's comments come as the United States and other global powers call for aid to continue flowing into the besieged Gaza Strip to prevent a grave humanitarian crisis from getting worse.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to the UN Security Council, called for "humanitarian pauses" to enable urgent aid shipments to Gaza civilians.
"Palestinian civilians are not to blame for the carnage committed by Hamas," Blinken said, referring to the militants' killing of 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and capture of over 200 hostages in a one-day rampage through Israeli communities near Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden underscored the need to sustain "a continuous flow" of humanitarian assistance into Gaza in a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said Monday.
Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, said Monday that he backs a call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a break in the conflict to allow much more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Luxembourg have publicly backed the idea of a humanitarian pause.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called for an unimpeded flow of aid into Gaza.
Some Liberal MPs calling for ceasefire
Trudeau has faced pressure from some members of his own caucus to call for a full ceasefire.
More than 30 MPs — most of them Liberals — wrote a letter to Trudeau last week calling on him to advocate for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
But other Liberal MPs, including Ben Carr and Anthony Housefather, have spoken against calls for a ceasefire, citing Israel's right to defend itself and the concern that Hamas would use a ceasefire to rebuild and regain strength.
During a press conference on Friday, Trudeau was asked if the conflict was creating a division in his caucus.
"There are lots of different perspectives. But there are shared fears and concerns amongst all parliamentarians and a commitment every single day to keep everyone safe here in Canada and everywhere around the world," he said.
A civilian is a civilian. We need more humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and for Canadians to be able to exit. For this reason, we are calling for humanitarian pauses on hostilities to be considered.
—@melaniejolyTrudeau's call for "humanitarian pauses" was echoed by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
"A civilian is a civilian. We need more humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and for Canadians to be able to exit," she wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Earlier Tuesday, Defence Minister Bill Blair was asked why the government won't advocate for a ceasefire. He said Hamas, which the government lists as a terrorist organization, likely would ignore calls for a ceasefire.
"I have no expectation a terrorist organization would respect international law or any call for a ceasefire," he said. "Hamas needs to be eliminated as a threat, not just to Israel but to the world."
Both the Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois said Tuesday they support a pause in hostilities to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"Conservatives support efforts to allow Canadian citizens and other foreign nationals to be able to safely exit Gaza and return to their country of citizenship. Those efforts, by necessity, require temporary pauses in military activity to ensure the safety of those involved," Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said in a media statement.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said he supports the idea of a humanitarian pause, but he also echoed Blair's comments on Hamas.
"I'm not saying that we want a full ceasefire because I do not believe that Israel will want a full ceasefire. They want to get rid of Hamas once and for all, and I must say I support this idea," he said.
"There's a difference between the civilian population, Palestinian population, and Hamas."
Blanchet also criticized the perceived divisions in the Liberal Party over a ceasefire.
"There's one problem. The Canadian government and the Liberal Party seem to be unable to speak with one coherent voice," he said.
No Conservative or Bloc Québécois MP signed the letter to Trudeau last week. During debate last week in the House of Commons, Chong said Canada "should resist" calls for a ceasefire until Hamas is "eliminated."
"We support temporary pauses for these humanitarian reasons, while continuing to recognize that Israel has a right to defend itself and take action to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas," Chong said in his statement on Tuesday.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said his party's official position is that the government should advocate for a ceasefire. He has called for a meeting with Trudeau to discuss that proposal.
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With files from Reuters and The Associated Press