New Democrat MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, Ont.) has accused Liberal cabinet ministers of "drinking wine and schnapps” with Jewish diplomats instead of condemning what he describes as Israeli war crimes. Blacklock's Reporter says Angus's comments came during a Commons debate, where he criticized the government's stance on the Israeli military's actions in Gaza.“There is nothing extreme about speaking up against the mass killing of children,” Angus stated. “What is extreme is going along with it, like last night when the International Criminal Court called for indictments against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, that the government and its ministers would be drinking wine and schnapps with Israeli leaders here in Ottawa.”Angus emphasized that true friendship involves holding allies accountable: “We can say that we are friends. We are. Canada has a long, deep friendship with Israel, but friends do not let friends commit war crimes.”His remarks were made during an unrelated Third Reading debate on a labor bill in a mostly empty House. Angus was the only MP to address the Israeli military actions against Hamas during this session.“On my way here I learned the International Court of Justice has called out Israel for the brutal genocide that is happening in Gaza and Rafah, calling on them to end this horrific campaign,” said Angus. He invoked Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”Angus shared a personal anecdote to underline his point: “Mom called me last night,” expressing support for campus protestors opposing Israeli military action. “She said to me that she was so inspired to see the young people marching out of those university commencements, university students in the United States who were putting their careers on the line, facing serious harassment, being called all kinds of hateful things by an establishment that wants to shut them down,” he said.“My mom said young people get it. They are not going to sit silent in the face of a genocide. Again, what bends toward justice is bending in the face of the harassment and the intimidation and the false threats that these young students are somehow extremists and radicals. There is nothing extreme about speaking up against the mass killing of children.”Angus also mentioned his mother's determination to join the protests: “My mother said to me that she was going to get her walker and go down and walk with them.”Angus announced on April 4 that he would not seek re-election after 20 years in Parliament. His northern Ontario riding was redistricted under the Electoral Boundaries Act on April 22. Angus was re-elected for his seventh term in 2021 with 35 percent of the vote.
New Democrat MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, Ont.) has accused Liberal cabinet ministers of "drinking wine and schnapps” with Jewish diplomats instead of condemning what he describes as Israeli war crimes. Blacklock's Reporter says Angus's comments came during a Commons debate, where he criticized the government's stance on the Israeli military's actions in Gaza.“There is nothing extreme about speaking up against the mass killing of children,” Angus stated. “What is extreme is going along with it, like last night when the International Criminal Court called for indictments against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, that the government and its ministers would be drinking wine and schnapps with Israeli leaders here in Ottawa.”Angus emphasized that true friendship involves holding allies accountable: “We can say that we are friends. We are. Canada has a long, deep friendship with Israel, but friends do not let friends commit war crimes.”His remarks were made during an unrelated Third Reading debate on a labor bill in a mostly empty House. Angus was the only MP to address the Israeli military actions against Hamas during this session.“On my way here I learned the International Court of Justice has called out Israel for the brutal genocide that is happening in Gaza and Rafah, calling on them to end this horrific campaign,” said Angus. He invoked Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”Angus shared a personal anecdote to underline his point: “Mom called me last night,” expressing support for campus protestors opposing Israeli military action. “She said to me that she was so inspired to see the young people marching out of those university commencements, university students in the United States who were putting their careers on the line, facing serious harassment, being called all kinds of hateful things by an establishment that wants to shut them down,” he said.“My mom said young people get it. They are not going to sit silent in the face of a genocide. Again, what bends toward justice is bending in the face of the harassment and the intimidation and the false threats that these young students are somehow extremists and radicals. There is nothing extreme about speaking up against the mass killing of children.”Angus also mentioned his mother's determination to join the protests: “My mother said to me that she was going to get her walker and go down and walk with them.”Angus announced on April 4 that he would not seek re-election after 20 years in Parliament. His northern Ontario riding was redistricted under the Electoral Boundaries Act on April 22. Angus was re-elected for his seventh term in 2021 with 35 percent of the vote.
