Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Ottawa to cut financial assistance to Palestine after the Palestinian Authority cancelled elections promised as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s conditions for recognizing Palestinian statehood.Poilievre said Canadian taxpayers should not be sending hundreds of millions of dollars overseas to a government that has failed to honour commitments made to secure international recognition.“We should not be giving aid to a government that is breaking its promise,” Poilievre told reporters. “The Palestinian regime said it was going to hold elections. They are breaking that promise.”Blacklock's Reporter said the criticism follows an October 10 announcement by the Palestinian Authority that elections scheduled for 2026 would be cancelled. Palestinians have not held a national election in two decades.Canada provided $217,083,501 in foreign assistance to Palestine last year, making it the largest recipient of Canadian foreign aid, according to figures released by the Department of Foreign Affairs.The figures, contained in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons on September 21, showed Canadian assistance to Palestine was nearly double the amount provided to Ukraine.Ukraine received $125.9 million, followed by Ethiopia at $124.7 million and Bangladesh at $91.8 million.Poilievre questioned why Canadians struggling with the cost of living should be expected to finance a Palestinian government that has abandoned its election commitment.“I don’t know why we would be sending Canadian tax dollars from people who can’t afford to pay their bills, to a dictatorial terrorist regime like that, especially now,” he said.Poilievre accused Palestinian leaders of breaking what he described as a central condition of Carney's decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.The prime minister announced on July 30, 2025, that Canada would recognize a Palestinian state, subject to commitments from the Palestinian Authority to undertake political reforms..Carney said the decision was “predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much needed reforms including commitments by President Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”The cancellation of the elections has raised questions about whether those conditions are being met.The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also called on Ottawa to hold Palestinian leaders accountable for failing to deliver on their commitments.“While the Canadian government pursues punitive measures and sanctions against Israel, it must demonstrate the Palestinians will also be held accountable for failing to honour their commitments,” the organization said in a statement.Recognition of Palestinian statehood has been a contentious issue in Parliament for years.In 2024, the House of Commons rejected a New Democrat motion calling for recognition of a Palestinian state by a vote of 204 to 118.Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who represents the Montreal riding of Mount Royal, opposed the proposal, arguing that recognition should follow negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians rather than a unilateral decision by Canada.“Foreign policy written this way is not a good thing,” Housefather told the Commons during the debate.“We would be saying we are suddenly going to recognize the state of Palestine unilaterally, when for 50 years under successive Liberal and Conservative governments we have said the parties need to negotiate.”Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau also expressed reservations about the timing of Palestinian statehood recognition following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, which killed and resulted in the kidnapping of civilians, including Canadians.On May 29, 2024, Trudeau said Canada remained open to recognizing a Palestinian state but believed the timing must support a lasting peace agreement.“Canada is prepared to recognize the state of Palestine at a time when that is most conducive to establishing lasting peace,” Trudeau said.Poilievre's latest demand puts renewed pressure on the Carney government to explain whether Canadian aid and diplomatic recognition will be affected by the Palestinian Authority's decision to abandon its promised elections.The government has not indicated in the supplied account whether it intends to reduce assistance or impose consequences over the cancelled vote.
