Trudeau downplays Liberal divisions on Israel-Hamas war, NDP calls for firmer stance
CTV
Diverse views in the Liberal party are a source of strength, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted Thursday as questions persisted about caucus discord over the government's policy on the Israel-Hamas war.
Diverse views in the Liberal party are a source of strength, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted Thursday as questions persisted about caucus discord over the government's policy on the Israel-Hamas war.
"We have a large number of Muslim MPs. We have a large number of Jewish MPs," Trudeau said at a news conference in Winnipeg.
"The kinds of conversations that go on within our party are not always easy, but they reflect the diversity of conversations happening across the country."
Trudeau was responding to a question about a CBC News report detailing a leaked phone call between a constituent and Rob Oliphant, a parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
In that call, Oliphant told the constituent that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "hurting Israel," CBC reported.
He also criticized the government's communication around a genocide allegation against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its decision to pause funding for a UN agency as it investigates staff members accused of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
On Parliament Hill, NDP foreign-affairs critic Heather McPherson said Oliphant should be brave enough to say such things publicly. He told CBC he didn't say anything on the call he would not be willing to defend in public.
