Sen. Yuen Pau Woo is urging the federal government to examine whether Canada may be complicit in potential war crimes related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, citing what he calls an “extreme humanitarian crisis” in the region.Woo, an independent senator from British Columbia appointed by the Liberals, has introduced a motion in the Senate calling for the government to assess the legal and reputational risks Canada could face in relation to violations of international humanitarian law. Blacklock's Reporter says the motion is unlikely to be debated before the Senate breaks Friday for a 12-week summer recess..“The facts on the ground are horrific,” said Woo, who argued that Canada must respond more forcefully to what he described as a disregard for international law and human rights. “The Senate must draw attention to atrocities in Palestine and urge the government to take stronger action,” he said.Woo’s motion asks the Senate to formally call on the government to “examine the risks to Canada and Canadians of complicity in violations of international humanitarian law including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”He also advocated for recognizing a Palestinian state, addressing anti-Palestinian racism, and reviewing the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement signed in 1997. .Woo called these measures a “minimalist set of responses to a crisis that is existential for Palestinians and corrosive to any sense of justice and humanity.”Ten other senators appointed under the Liberal banner joined Woo in signing a petition that accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The signatories include Senators Amina Gerba, Margo Greenwood, Katherine Hay, Marilou McPhedran, Julie Miville-Dechêne, Tracy Muggli, Kim Pate, Paulette Senior, Suze Youance, and Rosa Galvez. A separate petition circulated in March by Woo also alleged gender-based violence by Israeli soldiers.Conservative Sen. Salma Ataullahjan, a former advisor to the National Council of Canadian Muslims, also addressed the humanitarian crisis during a Senate sitting but did not support the genocide accusation. “Peace is not built on silence,” she said. “This is a test of our values — whether we truly believe in the equal worth of every life.”
