Trudeau, Poilievre, MPs Mourn Lives Lost on Anniversary of Hamas Attack

Protesters in support of Israel march towards Parliament Hill during a ceremony in Ottawa on Oct. 6, 2024. Monday marks one year since the attack on Israel by terrorist group Hamas. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

Party leaders and parliamentarians on Oct. 7 mourned the lives lost one year ago in the attack on Israel by terrorist group Hamas and reiterated their call for the release of hostages.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement the surprise attack was “the deadliest carried out on Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

“There are few words to describe the cruelty that comes with the massacre of 1,200 innocent people and abduction of over 200 others,“ he said on Oct. 7, adding, ”We unequivocally condemn Hamas for the terror they wrought.”

Trudeau paid respects to Canadian families who have lost loved ones and reiterated the call for the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas. He also noted the Jewish community in Canada had seen “a terrifying surge” in anti-Semitism over the past year.

Trudeau condemned Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, for their attacks on Israel. On the eve of the Hamas attack, Hezbollah launched rockets at Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city. Last week, Iran launched a barrage of nearly 200 missiles at Tel Aviv.

Projectiles intercepted by Israel above Tel Aviv on Oct. 1, 2024. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also issued a statement condemning Hamas for its attack.

“Western democratic values depend on destroying Tehran’s proxy armies of Hamas and Hezbollah,” he said.

Poilievre also expressed concern for Jewish communities in Canada he said are facing “grotesque antisemitism in the streets.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom openly praised the attack and support Hamas, have held hundreds of demonstrations against Jewish communities and businesses, some of which have included threats and violence.

The Toronto Police Service reported last week that it has managed over 1,500 demonstrations and arrested dozens in connection with the protests since last October. The police force increased its presence across the city in preparation for the anniversary of the attack this week.

Pro-Palestine protesters hold flags and banners as they march along Bay Street in downtown Toronto on Oct. 9, 2023. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh condemned the mass killings by Hamas and the taking of hostages, calling for their immediate return.

“Today marks one year since the horrific Hamas terror attacks in Israel in which 1,200 people were killed, including eight Canadians. One year later, over one hundred hostages remain in Hamas captivity,” Singh wrote on platform X.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned the violence against Israelis.

“At daybreak one year ago, Hamas carried out a savage attack on Israel, butchering and committing sexual violence against Israelis, Canadians, and many others. Today we must remember the hostages who still aren’t home, the lives lost, and the profound pain felt by so many,” she said on the X platform.

MPs Condemn Violence in Canada

Several parliamentarians also issued statements to mark Oct. 7.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather expressed solidarity with Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, stating, “On this Oct 7 my thoughts are with the people of Israel, Jewish communities around the world, hostages & their families. I support Israel as it fights against Iran & its proxies & continue to push for the implementation of concrete actions I have proposed to combat antisemitism.”

Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman issued a statement, saying, “The tyrants in Tehran still wreak havoc with their barbaric proxies who continue to terrorize western civilization” while also criticizing what she described as the “woke mob” for fostering “the worst antisemitism that has flourished in Canada in a generation.”

Philip Lawrence, Conservative MP for Ontario’s Northumberland-Peterborough South riding, expressed concern about the wave of anti-Semitism observed in Canada and elsewhere since Israel launched its counterattacks. He highlighted the threats faced by Jewish students and families who he said “deserve to feel safe in their communities.”

Several Jewish schools have been targeted by acts of violence in the past year. In November 2023, the private Jewish high school Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto, along with a nearby synagogue and daycare, were evacuated after police received reports of a potential bomb threat.

In May, gunshots were fired at the Belz school at the Young Israel of Montreal synagogue, following similar incidents at two other Jewish schools in Montreal. Bullets were fired at the doors of the Yeshiva Gedola school and the nearby United Talmud Torahs of Montreal on Nov. 9, 2023, with Yeshiva Gedola being targeted again just days later.

Police investigate the Yeshiva Gedolah school for clues after shots were fired at two Jewish schools in Montreal on Nov. 9, 2023. The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz

Independent MP Kevin Vuong released a video to mark Oct. 7, calling for the immediate release of hostages and highlighting Hamas’s abduction of children and Hezbollah’s missile attacks.

“These acts of terror are not just distant problems; they affect us here in Canada,” he said, pointing to the targeting of Jewish communities across the country.