Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler has joined 32 other Members of Parliament who have signed a letter demanding Canada call for an immediate ceasefire and establishment of a humanitarian corridor in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, breaking with his Liberal Party on an issue that has divided political parties across the country.
In the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, federal officials condemn the killing of more than 1,400 innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas in the shocking attacks of Oct. 7, and call for the release of the more than 200 hostages still under the terrorist group’s control.
Israel has responded with colossal force, showering the Gaza Strip with rockets and in recent days launching a ground offensive. More than 8,300 Palestinians have so far been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, most of whom it says are women and children.
Pique caught up with Weiler to discuss the letter, his push for a ceasefire, and what comes next.
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. A condensed version of this interview was published in the Nov. 2nd print edition of Pique Newsmagazine.
Pique: Why did you decide to sign this letter?
Weiler: Like everybody else, it’s hard to look at what’s happening, first in Israel and now in Gaza, and not be absolutely horrified and heartbroken. From seeing the absolutely horrific and barbaric terrorist attack that Hamas carried out on Israeli civilians to now seeing a brutal war being waged in Palestine. The most recent numbers I saw is that over 8,300 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, and 3,500 of them are children. Those are the numbers I've seen as recent as [Oct. 31].
It’s absolutely tragic, and in Canada, we have an important role to play as a country that helped craft international law, particularly humanitarian law. I think right now we have a very important role in ensuring international law is followed, to make sure we do everything we can to protect civilian life, whether that’s in Israel or in Palestine, where there is a humanitarian disaster that is quickly worsening.
Obviously we have our conversations amongst MPs, and we thought it was very important for us to show support and advocate for a position that is going to do everything it can to uphold international law, to relieve suffering of innocent civilians that are in the most precarious position imaginable, to support a humanitarian corridor being established and to have a ceasefire, which now the UN has called for as well. We can protect civilians, reduce suffering and actually create some space to have hostages be released, who need to be released, and which includes some Canadians. Four-hundred Canadians are stuck in Gaza right now, and we have a responsibility to protect them and get them to safety. We didn’t see any way to get around this other than to have a ceasefire. With each passing day, you see how critical it is that this takes place.
We're seeing division within political parties on the topic of a ceasefire. How aligned would you say you are or aren’t with the rest of the Liberal caucus on this?
I think there’s a broad range of views in this. It’s a deeply personal issue for a lot of people. I have caucus colleagues that have worked on the peace process, both Jewish and Muslim colleagues. We have folks that have extended family or friends in the region. We hear everyday from constituents about their family members being killed, so it’s not surprising there’s a variety of views, and unfortunately there is a difference of views depending on people’s background.
This is a very challenging topic for people, and I think it is not a simple issue at all. This is a very complex problem that is 80 years in the making. The flipside of this, as well, is we’re seeing a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia play out in Canada, which we need to be very, very committed to condemning and opposing and ensuring that doesn’t take place in Canada, because that’s fundamentally unCanadian and completely unjustified.
You went against party lines to sign this letter. Do you think there is political risk involved with you taking this position?
There’s always political risk in anything you do, particularly on an issue like this where people have very strongly held views. I think there’s also a risk in not taking a position on something as important as this. I have people call me everyday who want to talk about this, who themselves have very strong views.
In all this, this isn’t about taking Israel’s side or Palestine’s side. This is about valuing human life, and that’s what this is really about. I firmly believe this is not just in the best interest of Palestinians; I think it’s in the best interest of Israelis and in the best interest of Canada to be calling for peace. It’s something we have a very proud legacy of in Canada.
I know one of the proudest moments of my life was when [former PM] Jean Chretien decided not to part in the invasion of Iraq. I think it’s important for Canada to have a strong voice in this, to stand up for international law, and I don’t think people can argue with that. If countries like Canada don’t’ uphold international law than international law is not going to be worth the paper it’s written on.
Canada recently voted to abstain at the UN on the question of a ceasefire, as Trudeau and others in his cabinet have called instead for “humanitarian pauses” to the fighting so aid can be delivered to Gaza. What is your stance on the notion of a humanitarian pause?
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what a humanitarian pause is or a truce. To me, whether it’s those two, or a ceasefire, it’s a cessation of hostilities. To me, it’s semantics.
I think the idea is that a pause would be brief and temporary, with fighting resuming after aid is delivered.
It may very well be that, but it’s really hard to say. I think all of those things are important, and what’s important is to be able to get water, food and fuel in so that we can stop this humanitarian disaster that would lead to many more people dying than have already been killed in the bombing in Gaza. If a pause lasts longer, maybe it becomes a truce or a ceasefire, I’m not sure, but what’s critically important is to provide that support to people who are the most dire situation imaginable right now. I think, also, providing that type of a pause allows for some sense of long-term planning on how this ends and how you move into or create the conditions for some longer-term solutions that will create the potential for a lasting peace.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to international calls for a ceasefire, saying such a move would be tantamount to surrendering to Hamas. How realistic do you think the prospect of a ceasefire really is?
I think it’s hard to say how the reaction will be from the Israeli government. I think its incredibly important that the international community comes together in this to uphold international law. Because there’s also a significant portion of people, even within Israel, who are very opposed to increased hostilities, and I think the longer this goes on, those calls are just going to get louder.
I think there’s an important role for Canada and other counties to be that friend of Israel and to make the case when it needs to be done, even if it’s not something Israel wants to hear. The actor outside of Israel with the most influence is the Untied States, and the U.S. needs to step up on this as well because they have a lot of influence on the actions of the Israeli government. They are a steadfast ally and they need to use that close relationship they have to prevent this from escalating further, and to save lives.
There are still more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas. What do you see as the most effective way to leverage Hamas into releasing them?
It’s very tricky. I know that you never want to be negotiating with terrorists, and I completely understand that. Negotiations with Hamas are complicated by that fact.
The way that Canada has been trying to secure the release of its hostages is through dialogue and diplomatic efforts, working with the governments of Egypt and Jordan and using the government of Qatar as an intermediary. There’s no ways those hostages are going to be able to be released and get out of the country unless there's a pause in hostilities so they can leave, as well as the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, I don’t’ think there is a simple solution for that to take place.
Do you believe there is a way to eradicate Hamas while avoiding the level of civilian deaths we’ve seen to this point in Gaza?
I think it’s possible, but it’s not only possible, it’s necessary, To be in compliance with international law, there’s a duty on states to take positive steps to protect civilians, and ensure that civilians can never be targets. I’m very alarmed to see things like schools and hospitals being bombed.
There’s also international rules against using excessive force and a requirement of proportionality. It is well accepted that collective punishment of civilians is not in accordance with international law, and these are principles the Israel government needs to take seriously and the international community needs to remind them the world is watching on these matters.
At the end of the day, I think the idea that Hamas can be dismantled and destroyed and that somehow Israel is going to be safer as a result of that in the long term, I disagree with that being the likely scenario. What I think we will see with this is tens of thousands of civilians that are going to be killed in the process, and the views people hold of the Israeli military and government are only going to harden. We’ve seen this play out in other wars and invasions over the last 20 years.
Do you worry about the risk of other parties like Hezbollah getting involved in the fighting?
I’m very concerned about that, whether that’s Hezbollah, the government of Iran as well, which is of course supporting and backing Hezbollah and Hamas. I’m also very concerned about what this will mean with [President Vladimir] Putin and Russia. Probably the actor that benefits the most from this is Putin, as the West gets distracted from its illegal invasion of Ukraine, and potentially creates challenges with the U.S. supporting multiple active war zones. That’s something I don’t’ think can be discounted either. There is a risk of this expanding into a regional conflict and we are doing what we can right now to support Canadians in Lebanon to get out, with the possibility the conflict expands to the border and beyond.
I don’t believe that Hamas speaks for the aspirations of the Palestinian people. I think that needs to be kept in mind here. The 3,500 children killed in this war weren't even alive the last time there was an election in Gaza. I think that needs to be kept in mind here.
Lastly, I’m very concerned as well how this plays out within Canada. The Jewish people of Canada are not responsible for the actions of the government of Israel, just like Muslim-Canadians aren’t responsible for the terrorist attacks by Hamas. I’m very concerned that people are conflating that. It’s really important that we be very steadfast in condemning any type of aggression, discrimination or harassment of Muslim- or Jewish-Canadians, and support communities that are feeling victimized right now as well.
I worry about the dehumanizing language being used. Unfortunately, it really reminds me of a lot of the language expressed in the lead-up to the Holocaust as well. It’s so important that we value human life wherever it is, regardless of people’s skin colours and regardless of who their government is. We’ve seen the type of dark road that leads to when we get away from that.
What do you see as the next step following a ceasefire?
Self-determination for Palestinians has to be a long-term goal in this, and that’s well accepted in international law, and was well accepted at the creation of Israel in the first place. The long-term solution—which the international community is in agreement with—is having an independent Palestinian state living peacefully side by side with an Israeli state. The borders have been decided on that, and there obviously have been new [Israeli] settlements and advancements into occupied territories that would need to be discussed, but the long-term solution has to be a political one. Ideally, the end goal would be kept in mind before starting this type of military action; I’m not sure it has been. Without that, I fear the cycle of violence is likely to continue.
