PrimeMinister Mark Carney finally took a stand on the genocide in Gaza last week.
Though we provided a morsel of relief in our food drop on Monday and sent a message to Israel, U.S. President Donald Trump and the world about where our sympathies lie, our actions are far from complete.
To begin, Carney said Canada will join with France and Britain in recognizing Palestine as a state when the UN General Assembly meets in September. It is a bold move as the announcement came just days before the Aug. 1 deadline, when we were supposed to have hammered out an agreement with Trump to avoid tariffs. Canada took a risk but was willing to do that, as it had been evident for months that the situation in Gaza was intolerable. We needed to take humanitarian-based action long ago, but Carney finally broke his silence, drawing the ire of Israel and the United States.
We did pay a price. Trump said he wouldn't be influenced by CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 decision, but on Aug. 1 we were hit with 35 per cent tariffs on goods not protected by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. Mexico, which had the same deadline, received a 90-day reprieve. Trump was being vindictive toward Canada.
Though CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 move was late, it showed that we are not willing to watch others suffer just to make a deal with the U.S. We have soul, something the American administration has lost. We are playing with the devil.
That Canadians care deeply about the horrendous suffering in Gaza is evident right here at home in a community that has raised $162,918 for the people of Palestine, which includes a water well and monies distributed directly to families in affected areas. Yellowknifers turned out in droves to fundraising dinners and auctions to support the cause. We care about others.
YK Citizens for Ceasefire continues to organize weekly demonstrations on Saturdays by the Explorer Hotel and hold emergency fundraising campaigns as the need arises. Yellowknifers are quick to show their support for the people of Palestine, 60,000 of whom have died in the Israel-Hamas war. The majority of those, sadly, are women and children. An estimated 28 children are murdered in Gaza every day while malnutrition and starvation reach crisis proportions. This genocide has become one of the worst on record.
CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 food drop of 9,800 kilograms of food on Monday is so far a one-off deal. While we may feel some pride in supplying it, it is a dangerous way for its distribution. It is also a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed. Palestinians are people SA国际影视传媒� starving people SA国际影视传媒� not animals. They need food distributed in a respectful and non-life threatening way. While more food trucks are being allowed into Gaza, that food must be handed out in a way that does not see more people killed. In their quest to secure food for loved ones, Palestinians die.
In the meantime, we must see more action from both our government and our own MP. Despite repeated attempts to meet with Rebecca Alty, supporters of YK Citizens for Ceasefire have been met with silence. While photo ops have been prevalent elsewhere, there has been little attempt to meet with constituents here at home and deal with their real concerns about the suffering in Gaza.
Nor has there been any satisfactory response from the Liberal government on why ammunitions and armament parts have been allowed to flow through Canada to Israel. All weapons supply to the region must stop now. To allow a single bullet to be sent to Israel is to support the genocide. We either want to save lives, or we don't.
We do have our own issues to contend with to be sure, in particular, our trade war with Donald Trump. But we know that Canadians have soul, something many Americans have lost. Though we are suffering, we are not prepared to watch those in other countries die. It is not who we are.
Though our struggle in the trade war is so intense, we want to hear more from the Carney government and our local MP about what is being done to alleviate the suffering in Gaza. This is of paramount importance to many of us.
We need more than words, we need open and transparent action.
