MPs Spar on Middle East Crisis, Israel’s Right to Self-Defence, During Emergency Debate

People stand on top of the remains of an Iranian missile in the Negev desert near Arad, on October 2, 2024, in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Israel. Israel vowed to make Iran "pay" for firing a barrage of missiles at its territory, with Tehran warning on October 2 it would launch an even bigger attack it is targeted. Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP

An emergency debate was held in the House of Commons to discuss escalating violence in the Middle East, with MPs split on how Israel and Canada should respond.

Divisions have been on display since Hamas conducted its raid into Israel on Oct. 7 last year, with some MPs pushing for a ceasefire and others backing Israel’s military campaign against the organization considered a terrorist entity by Ottawa.

The debate, which lasted over five hours until midnight on Oct. 1, came shortly after Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Tehran was retaliating against Israel for its killing of the top leaders of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its proxy Lebanese Hezbollah.

Many missiles were intercepted by Israeli and U.S. air defence systems, with the only known casualty from the attack being a Gazan located in the West Bank.

The emergency debate was called by NDP MP Heather McPherson to discuss recent developments in Lebanon, with Israel having entered the country this week to target Hezbollah military installations along the border.

Hezbollah has steadily been sending rockets and drones to Israel since last year’s raid by Hamas. The Israeli military said on Oct. 1 that Hezbollah has been planning a similar attack in northern Israel.

McPherson relayed comments from her constituents, who she said believe the Canadian government’s position in the region is a “double standard” when compared to its support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

She said it “breaks my heart” when constituents raise questions on “why there is so little empathy for those who are from Palestine or Lebanon.”

The NPD says Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip to root out Hamas is a “genocide” and has called for an arms embargo against Israel.

On the recent incursion into Lebanon, McPherson said “Canada needs to call on Israel to stop.” She suggested leaders of Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist entity by Ottawa, should be brought to justice.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis agreed with McPherson about the need to bring Hezbollah leaders to justice but asked her how this could be achieved.

McPherson didn’t answer answer directly, instead asking MPs to think about how it would feel if a foreign state bombed Ottawa.

‘No War’

Pam Damoff, parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, told the House there must be “no war in Lebanon, full stop.”

The Liberal government’s position on Gaza has been that Israel has the right to defend itself, according to international law, while pushing for a ceasefire.

“We reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself,” said Damoff in relation to Iran’s missile attack, while at the same time urging “all parties involved to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and humanitarian workers, and avoid any actions that could ignite a regional war.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly had been asked by reporters earlier that day if Ottawa’s call for the war to stop means that Israel should not retaliate against Iran’s missile attack.

“Of course, Israel needs to be able to protect itself, and that’s why we‘ll continue to support its security, and we’ll support, of course through the Iron Dome,” Joly said, in reference to Israel’s air defence system which effectively foiled Iran’s missile attack this week and in April.

Deputy Tory Leader Melissa Lantsman, a staunch critic of Ottawa’s policy on the conflict, criticized Joly’s approach to Israel’s self-defence.

“It should be easy to unequivocally state that this country should fight to eradicate terror,” she said.

“If we are to understand this, [Joly’s] position now is that Israel can intercept hundreds of incoming ballistic missiles from Iran, but that is exactly where the defence stops.”

Conservatives argue that Israel is at war and needs to respond to the multifaceted threat it faces.

“Israel has the right to prosecute this war under international humanitarian law and to prosecute this war to its conclusion that the State of Israel has so determined, and ensure that Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran no longer threaten the citizens of its state or its territory,” Conservative MP Michael Chong, his party’s foreign affairs critic, said during the debate.

It’s also the view shared by some members of the Liberal Party, which has been divided on the issue, with Jewish Liberal MP Anthony Housefather considering leaving the party at one point.

“Israel is fighting terrorist organizations on every single front,” Housefather told the House. “It is not a country that has just suddenly decided to start bombing here and start bombing there.”

The Bloc Québécois also advocates for a ceasefire and asked during the debate why the government has not leveraged its free trade agreement with Israel to push it in that direction.

“It seems to me that we have not used all the pressure tactics that may be necessary,” said Bloc MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay.

Evacuation Concerns

Other Bloc MPs focused their speaking turns on the Canadian government’s plan to evacuate Canadians from Lebanon in the case of a broader conflict, noting how an evacuation of Canadians in 2006 had not gone smoothly during a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Do we have the capacity to deploy more troops if necessary?” asked Bloc MP Christine Normandin.

Defence Minister Bill Blair said on Oct. 1 that 200 military personnel are currently in the region to prepare for an evacuation. The effort is being led by Global Affairs Canada, which has booked seats on commercial flights leaving Lebanon in recent days to help Canadians get out.

Independent MP Kevin Vuong also briefly spoke during the emergency debate. The downtown Toronto MP has been outspoken about Israel’s right to deal with the terrorist threats and has defended the Jewish community amid a rise in anti-Semitic attacks over the last year.

Vuong said that those who have remained silent as over 8,000 rockets have been fired at Israel in the past year are “not advocates for peace but are apologists for a terrorist group.” He said that “defence is not escalation.”

Reuters contributed to this report.