Key Liberal MP rips his government's policy on Gaza war in private call with constituent
CBC
A leaked recording of a phone call between a Liberal MP and a constituent suggests the depth of the divisions in the government caucus over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the war in Gaza, the genocide case against Israel and the decision to defund a UN relief agency in the middle of a famine.
As parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Rob Oliphant has the job of explaining and defending Canada's foreign policy in Parliament.
But in his conversation with the constituent, recorded on Feb. 1 without the MP's knowledge, Oliphant was clearly less than keen to defend the government.
Instead, he opened up about his reaction to the genocide allegation brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and Canada's decision to defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the main UN agency providing aid to Palestinian refugees.
He also revealed that he's considered quitting his job as Joly's parliamentary secretary.
"I've come many times thinking, 'Do I quit that job? Do I just go back to being an MP?'" Oliphant said on the call.
CBC News is not identifying the constituent — who has been calling for a ceasefire in the conflict — because she fears publicity would lead to professional reprisals.
When contacted by CBC News, Oliphant said the conversation was with a constituent who was in pain over the crisis in Gaza and he'd hoped it would remain private.
He also said he made no statements in that exchange that he would not be willing to defend in public.
"When I read that we were pausing money to UNRWA — I'm going to be very clear — it was political. And I don't just mean domestic politics. It has to do with our allies," Oliphant told his constituent. "I thought it was the wrong decision."
Canada was the second country in the world to suspend its funding for UNRWA, following the United States. It did so in response to an Israeli claim that 12 or 13 UNRWA staff had participated in various capacities in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Israel accused 10 of the men of being Hamas members and one of belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel by Hamas-led militants in which 1,200 people were killed, including several Canadian citizens, according to Israeli accounts. Israel has responded with a military assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
The Trudeau government cut off UNRWA on January 26 — the same day the ICJ found there were grounds to proceed with a genocide trial against Israel.
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