Rift in Liberal Party grows as nearly two dozen MPs call for ceasefire, PM acknowledges divisions

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The Liberal Party’s rift over the Israel-Hamas war widened Friday with nearly two dozen government MPs signing an open letter urging Justin Trudeau to call for a ceasefire, as the Prime Minister acknowledged divisions in his party.

Liberal MP Salma Zahid released the letter late on Friday, as chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“We demand that Canada join the growing international call for an immediate ceasefire. Canada must act before more innocent children are killed,” reads the letter signed by 23 Liberal MPs.

Eight New Democrats and the only two Green MPs in the House of Commons also signed the letter. No MPs from the Conservatives or Bloc Québécois added their names to the document.

Liberal signatories include six parliamentary secretaries, former transport minister Omar Alghabra and Ontario Liberal Party leadership hopefuls Yasir Naqvi and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. NDP signatories include deputy leader Alexandre Boulerice and House leader Peter Julian.

The open call underscores divisions in the governing party reported by The Globe and Mail Thursday. The Liberals had a special caucus meeting this week to address disagreements over the war and the government’s stand, and a smaller group of MPs also met on the issue Thursday. Those were in addition to discussions at the regularly scheduled caucus meeting Wednesday.

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The open letter more than doubles the number of Liberals publicly disagreeing with the government, and makes up nearly a sixth of the Liberal caucus. As of Thursday, nearly a dozen had voiced opinions that run counter to the government’s position on the war.

The conflict was sparked when Hamas gunmen attacked and abducted civilians in Israel on Oct. 7, leaving more than 1,400 dead.

Calls for a ceasefire are interpreted by some as a denial of Israel’s right to defend itself. Canada’s position has been that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with international law. The Jewish state’s attacks on Gaza have left more than 4,100 people dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.

In the letter, the MPs said Canada should facilitate the opening of a humanitarian corridor and stand up for international law. It also urged the government to look at the historical context of the conflict.

“Canada must recognize that, for generations, the Palestinian people have suffered under occupation,” the letter said.

Israel occupied Gaza from 1967 until 2005, when it withdrew from the enclave, though the UN and other international organizations still consider Gaza to be under occupation, because Israel controls the skies and sea and all entry points to the strip except for a single border crossing to Egypt that functions irregularly.

The MPs urged Mr. Trudeau to show “courageous moral leadership in a time of war and despair.”

Before the letter was made public, Mr. Trudeau acknowledged divisions within his own governing party at a Friday press conference in Brampton, Ont.

“There are lots of different perspectives, but there are shared fears and concerns amongst all parliamentarians,” Mr. Trudeau said.

“Our differences must and will remain a source of strength.”

As he grapples with the internal debate, Mr. Trudeau has taken a more cautious approach in staking out the government’s positions. On Thursday he took a different tack than the United States and said he needed more evidence before assigning blame in the bombing of a hospital in Gaza that enflamed anger earlier this week.

Asked on Friday what evidence he was waiting for, Mr. Trudeau didn’t elaborate and instead spoke about the need to protect civilians, whether they are hostages held by Hamas or civilians in Gaza.

“We are working with our allies internationally to make sure that we can determine exactly what happened,” he said.

He also declined Friday to repeat comments from Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, in which the envoy called for the end of Hamas.

It’s important to “understand the systematic, brutal cruelty of Hamas,” Mr. Rae said on social media Thursday.

“Any organization like this has to be destroyed,” he said. “No one should condone or excuse or underplay or deny.”

Mr. Rae’s comments were in response to a video of Israeli officials describing the scene in one house after the Hamas attack. They said parents and two children were found with their hands tied behind their backs and shot. The officials said the victims showed signs of torture, with both an eye and fingers removed.

The Prime Minister was asked on Friday if he agreed with Mr. Rae. He did not directly answer the question, instead repeating past comments about the group, which Canada has designated a terrorist organization.

“Hamas’s actions are absolutely indefensible and Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law,” Mr. Trudeau said.

“They launched one of the most horrific terrorist attacks on civilians in history,” he said.