After a heated debate that stretched into Monday evening, Parliament passed an NDP motion with amendments made by the Liberals on Palestinian statehood. MPs debated the motion in parliament throughout the day that ended in a vote of 204 in favour to 118 against. .Conservatives were staunchly against the motion. Bloc Quebecois and Green MPs joined the NDP in favour of recognizing the State of Palestine, as did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and most Liberals. However, Liberals Anthony Housefather, Marco Mendicino and Ben Carr broke rank and voted against the motion. Independent MP Kevin Vuong also opposed the motion. .Liberal House Leader MacKinnon made an eleventh hour amendment removing the recognition of statehood clause and replacing it with a pledge to “work with international partners … towards establishment of the State of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution.” MacKinnon presented 14 amendments rephrasing the original motion. ."We have forced the government to move in a certain direction," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters before the vote. .Despite the Trudeau Liberals folding to the Singh NDP’s demands, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told the Commons Cabinet would not “pick sides” in the war in the Middle East. “This conflict has polarized our society and is testing the strength of our social cohesion,” said Joly. “We are entangled in a web of devastation and face pressure to pick sides, forced to believe that if we speak up for one, of course surely we are against the other. For us it is not that simple. Given the situation I doubt there will be a winner.”“We are there to help,” said Joly. “We are an honest broker and that is what Canada does.”.The original motion demanded “an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and that Hamas lay down its arms,” “support the prosecution of all crimes and violations of international law,” “advocate for an end to the decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories” and pursue “a State of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”.“Our motion offers real solutions for peace and justice, steps that show Canada can be a force for good in this world, that Canada and its leaders have the moral courage to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” said Singh. “I am extremely worried about the impact of this crisis on people here in Canada.”“I have had some very important conversations with Palestinians, Muslims and Arab Canadians,” said Singh. “They are scared about what is happening here in Canada. They are scared about the rise of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia, scared of being harassed on the streets or fired from their jobs. They feel unheard. We have also witnessed an alarming rise in anti-Semitism.”.The NDP’s motion was a “Hamas giveaway,” Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman said yesterday. “The government is playing a dangerous game of moral equivalency, pitting one group against another,” she said. “This motion is not about a ceasefire. This motion is about rewarding Hamas for their massacre. This motion is a vote to reward the murder, rape and kidnapping of Israelis.”Liberal MP Anthony Housefather criticized the motion as being one-sided. “Who would love this? Iran,” said Housefather. “Iran would love this. The Jewish community right now is demoralized and intimidated. This motion creates one winner and one loser. Most Canadian Muslims will vastly support this motion.”.Conservative MP Michael Chong slammed other parties who “have been unclear about (their) position” since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 Jews. “Hamas is what we should be focused on, not the state of Israel,” said Chong.“Hamas is the only party to this conflict that is to blame for this conflict, that started this conflict and that can end this conflict,” said Chong. “Hamas today can unconditionally surrender, release all remaining 130 or so hostages and lay down all its arms.”
