Members of Parliament rise for a moment of silence on the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, at the end of Question Period in Ottawa on Oct. 7.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
In a rarity for the volatile minority Parliament these days, a hush fell as Liberal and Conservative MPs rose individually to pay tribute to the victims of Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Just over an hour later that hush would descend again with a moment of silence and then all-party consent for a condemnation of the attacks.
But during the Question Period in between, fierce partisanship overshadowed those moments of solemnity as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly of political pandering for refusing to condemn anti-Israel chants that he and others argue are antisemitic.
Ms. Joly lambasted Mr. Poilievre for his attack, saying she’d spoken Monday with Canadians whose family members were killed during Hamas’s surprise assault on Israel. Seven Canadian citizens were among the upwards of 1,200 people Hamas killed on Oct. 7, while more than 100 hostages are still believed to be in captivity.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 7.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
“That’s what you do when you hold a position of power in these difficult times. You support people, you show moral leadership,” she told reporters after Question Period
“Clearly he was to play petty politics on the backs of victims,” she added.
In the House of Commons, Ms. Joly called on Mr. Poilievre to apologize. Speaker Greg Fergus also weighed in, saying the Conservative Leader needs to withdraw the remark at the earliest opportunity as it was similar to language used in the past against Mr. Poilievre himself – a comment that was ultimately withdrawn.
Mr. Poilievre’s office did not explicitly answer a question from The Globe and Mail Monday on whether or not the leader would apologize or withdraw the remark. Instead, spokesperson Sebastian Skamski accused Mr. Fergus of showing Liberal bias – he is a Liberal MP – and of censoring questions to his own party.
Mr. Skamski also restated that Ms. Joly refused to do as Mr. Poilievre demanded because of her own leadership ambitions.
Mr. Poilievre, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who did not attend Question Period, were expected at a memorial event scheduled for later Monday with Ottawa’s Jewish community.
In a statement ahead of the event, Mr. Trudeau condemned the Oct. 7 attacks. Hamas – which Canada has listed as a terrorist group – has “set the region down a path of war and violence,” he said. He also condemned Hezbollah and Iran, both of which are also engaged in warfare with Israel.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting over the last year. Mr. Trudeau called the scale of civilian causalities “heartbreaking and unacceptable,” demanding all actors comply with international law.
Mr. Poilievre’s Conservatives are critical of the Liberals’ response to the aftermath of Oct. 7. Among other things, they’ve argued the government hasn’t done enough to address the skyrocketing rates of reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish community.
The flashpoint Mr. Poilievre touched on Monday involved slogans sometimes heard at anti-Israel rallies: “from Palestine to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone,” and “there is only one solution: intifada, revolution.”
Those who chant the slogans have argued they are political calls for freedom for Palestinians. Others hear in them antisemitic demands for the erasure of the state of Israel.
When Ms. Joly on Monday refused to answer directly Mr. Poilievre’s demand that she denounce the chants, he said she continues to “pander to Hamas supporters and the Liberal Party as part of her leadership campaign rather than doing her job.”
Ms. Joly is believed to be among the senior Liberals considering a run for leadership of the party when Mr. Trudeau eventually steps down.
When she turned the tables on Mr. Poilievre and accused him of using what should be a memorial moment as a political one, he snapped back: “If there was ever a day when we needed a government to stand up for what was right, this would be that day.”
But despite the partisan rancour, no MPs objected later Monday when Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman introduced a motion that affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, called for the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, condemned the “grotesque” rise of antisemitism in Canada and condemned Hamas and Hezbollah.