An NDP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza passed the House of Commons on Monday, March 18. The motion which also called for a pause in arms exports to Israel passed with support of the Liberals after it was amended by the Trudeau government.
The non-profit advocacy group, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle-East (CJPME) were disappointed that the bill was watered down, but saw it as a step in the right direction.
“There’s good news and bad news following the passage of a motion on Palestine last night in Parliament. The good news is that Parliament has agreed to stop arms exports to Israel! The NDP, the Bloc Québécois, the Greens, and almost the entire Liberal caucus supported the motion as it passed 204-117,” reads a CJPME statement.
The motion was opposed by the entire Conservative caucus.
Despite Liberal amendments to the motion, three Liberals, including former public safety minister Marco Mendicino voted against it.
Those Liberal amendments saw a scaling back of significant portions of the motion, including removing language that would recognize a Palestinian state. As well, the Liberals removed language that would lift their cap on Canadian visas for Gazans seeking to flee to Canada.
The CJPME statement continued: “The bad news is that the Liberal cabinet imposed watered down language on the NDP motion before they would give their support. The outcome is that much of the power of the original motion has been neutralized, and the resulting motion does little to move the needle on Canadian policy on Palestine-Israel.”
Instead of recognizing Palestine, the motion re-affirms Canada’s commitment to a two-state solution, which would eventually lead to its recognition of a Palestinian state.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh celebrated the move as a victory stating that his party “forced the Liberals,” to stop selling arms to Israel, support the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, and more.
BREAKING
The vote is in and we have forced the Liberals to:
– Stop selling arms to the Israeli govt,
– Support the ICC and ICJ,
– Place sanctions on extremist settlers,
– and much more
Every single Conservative MP and some Liberals tried to block it – they failed.— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) March 19, 2024
A correction added to Singh’s post on X notes however that as this was an opposition motion, it is non-binding, and even with most Liberals voting in favour, the government is under no obligation to adhere to any of the points in it.
Nevertheless, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) pointed out the historic nature of the motion, which also includes a call for sanctions against “extremist settlers,” which refers to Israelis who are continuing to set up illegal settlements on Palestinian lands.
“While we recognize that some would have liked the original motion to stay fully together, we believe that the NDP did the right thing by tabling the original motion and pushing to make sure that Canada voted in favour of Palestine today. That is history,” the NCCM statement reads.
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