Dan Pujdak: Trudeau failed Canada's Jews. Carney needs to do better
There is still time for our diplomats to better balance the genuine needs of the Palestinian people and the objective reality of why this war rages on.
By: Dan Pujdak
Stepping into the first cabinet meeting last week, newly minted Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stopped to comment on the ongoing war in the Middle East. Anand told reporters, “We cannot allow the continued use of food as a political tool ... Over 50,000 people have died as a result of the aggression caused against the Palestinians and the Gazan people in Palestine.”
Everyone can — or at least should — be able to agree that starvation is a tragedy, and forced starvation, if it’s occurring, is even worse. However, Anand’s statement quotes the Hamas Health Ministry, which claims 53,000 people have died in the current conflict. The figure makes no distinction between Hamas militants — who Canada would consider terrorists — and civilians. Moreover, it is firmly established that Hamas hides weapons near civilians to maximize casualties for its own propaganda. Similarly, Hamas has diverted aid and food, further contributing to civilian misery. Deaths are tragedies and war is awful, but a diplomat must show balance and acknowledge that Hamas’ messaging may not reflect conditions on the ground.
Yet the most offensive aspect of Anand’s comments was her talk of “aggression caused against the Palestinians,” while failing to state that aggression’s cause: Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 assault. She also neglected to mention years of Hamas attacking Israeli civilians, or that the ongoing violence is driven primarily by Hamas’ refusal to surrender and release the hostages it has held for the past 592 days.
Unfortunately, Anand’s tone echoes her predecessor, Mélanie Joly, whose one-sided remarks were routinely called out by critics as sounding dangerously close to Hamas propaganda. Now, Anand’s remarks have been amplified by Canada signing onto a joint statement with Britain and France that, again, places lopsided blame and responsibility on Israel to end the fighting that Hamas started and that Hamas, and only Hamas, can end at any moment by laying down its arms and releasing its hostages.
So. All in all, not a great start for Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new foreign affairs minister. But there is still time for our diplomats to transition to an approach that better balances both the genuine needs of the Palestinian people and the objective reality of why this war rages on. How Anand and her colleagues handle this matter will be an important measure of whether this new government course-corrects from the more socially divisive approaches of the Trudeau government.
Typically, disagreements over foreign affairs have little impact on domestic matters, and the comments of the foreign minister don’t affect the day-to-day lives of Canadians. However, antisemitism is presently skyrocketing in this country at alarming rates under the guise of anti-war movements. That means Anand’s words and Carney’s joint communiqués have an impact on the home front.
Protesters target Jewish communities and institutions, holding them collectively responsible for Israeli policy while loudly decrying the concept of Jewish self-determination and Israel’s right to exist. One explanation for these protest movements might be racism, but another might generously assume some followers’ views are shaped by disinformation.
The foreign minister and her government should not contribute to this bad information environment. That’s why clarity about what is or is not happening overseas is an existential issue for Canada’s minority Jewish community. Truth matters, and Canadians should expect it from their political leaders.
At best, we can hope Anand will offer more constructive comments as she learns her new file. Perhaps once she speaks to her departmental experts, she’ll understand the conflict is not as clear cut. Hopefully, she will publicly recognize that Hamas is a terrorist organization, their Oct. 7 attack was not justifiable violence, and they are an aggressor that likes to pal around with other Iranian-funded terrorist groups. But if we take the government’s statements so far at face value, Canadian Jews should be alarmed, and very clear about one thing — this government is no friend to them.
Alas, there was warning. During the campaign, Carney responded to a heckler and seemingly acknowledged the current Gaza situation as a “genocide.” This sparked serious concerns regarding his stance on the Middle East, but he clarified his statements in the days that followed. When then-NDP leader Jagmeet Singh baited him in the English debate, Carney called for Hamas to release its hostages.
It was a positive sign that Carney seemed willing to acknowledge the situation is complex, and that Hamas are not the good guys — though the joint statement he signed onto again raises doubts about his judgement on this file. Whether he'll change course and drag his cabinet with him remains to be seen.
The unchecked rise of antisemitic extremism was a black mark against Justin Trudeau and his ministry — one that history is apt to remember. Carney has made several course corrections seeking to steer clear of many of his predecessor’s errors, but has also erred himself.
Canadian Jews and other supporters of Israel’s right to exist are rightly alarmed. After a shaky start, the clock is ticking for Carney, Anand, and their colleagues to prove that Canada will do better on this file than it did under Justin Trudeau.
Dan Pujdak is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
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The biggest disservice the west has done, IMO, is conflate the war against Hamas as being a war against Palestinians. I know nuance is hard for most people - but Hamas is a terrorist group that also tortures and abuses the Palestinian people. When people protest against the war on Hamas and treat Hamas and Palestinians as the same group, they do a disservice to the whole conversation.
Although my own belief is once Hamas is gone something else will likely rise up given the hatred that is taught in Palestinian schools against Israel and the abuse heaped on anyone who questions the official teachings. Israel could give everyone plush homes and unlimited funds and they’d still be villainized within Gaza because of how deeply engrained it is in the culture and history there. I’m not sure the long term solution but I do know I’m anti-Hamas as they are hurtful and terrorist towards everyone and need to be eliminated.
I don’t believe for a minute that the Anand statement was an uninformed or off the cuff offering. Anand is far brighter than her predecessor and certainly more prepared and polished. This is the LPC (unofficial?) position and has been for a long time. They know that there are far more voters at stake who despise Jews than defend them and their entire focus is vote totals. When what remains of the mainstream media meekly points out the obvious terrorism that Israel is defending itself against they throw in a quick remark about terrorism being bad as well but obviously their hearts aren’t in it. This statement should surprise no one who has been paying attention.