The predictable response from the political left to the U.S. air raid on Iran’s nuclear capabilities shocked no one. Somehow, these raids are racist and contravene international laws. The extent of these protests, however, is thought-provoking. A difference of opinion on these matters reflects the varying levels of information people access or the slant that their sources hold. Understanding why people with similar backgrounds diverge on issues clarifies the democratic process. Determining the veracity of these matters and who to believe creates the division. The challenge becomes figuring out who has the best information, who has the truth, who will release accurate facts, and what motivates them.
In Canada, for the past decade, our government has not only favoured a two-state solution in the Middle East, but it has also seen Israel as a source of Middle Eastern trouble. Under Justin Trudeau, Canada welcomed populations that were anti-Semitic and pro-Palestinian. Through policy, positions, and speech, the Liberal Party of Canada courted these new voters. Mélanie Joly, minister of foreign affairs in the previous government, spent much of her time criticizing Israel for its cruel campaign in Gaza and the need for an immediate ceasefire after every Hamas attack. She holds the makeup of her constituency responsible for this.
Data from the 2021 census suggests that Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Joly’s riding in Quebec, has a population of around 111,000, including over 6,000 Arabic speakers. No politician worth her salt would ignore those demographics, but Joly stretches credulity to suggest she must take a hard line on Israel because her political survival depends upon it. Joly’s shift to a pro-Palestinian stance from a pro-Israel one is more likely driven by her party’s changing views on immigration and her own career ambitions within the Liberal Party. These realities may also explain why our government has threatened to withhold arms shipments or supplies to Israel. Unfortunately, political jockeying supersedes accuracy, and political expediency often overcomes sound judgment. Lamentably, Justin Trudeau’s Canadian foreign policy remains unchanged under Prime Minister Mark Carney, as evidenced by the recent Iran situation.
After U.S. President Donald Trump announced the bombings, Carney called on all parties to return to the negotiating table and begin the peace process anew. Mike Blanchfield, reporting for Politico, quoted the Prime Minister on X, shortly before boarding his Royal Canadian Air Force jetliner to Brussels for a European Union summit, as saying, “Canada calls on parties to return immediately to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis. As G7 leaders agreed in Kananaskis (location of the G7 summit earlier this month), the resolution of the Iranian crisis should lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Nothing sounds overtly controversial, but this worn-out policy lacks honesty or creativity.
The Iranian regime has been a “bad actor” for over 40 years, killing people who dissent within, murdering those who belong to the Great Satan (America and the West, especially Jews), and now developing nuclear weapons. Defenders of the theocracy will try to justify their wishes to protect themselves from Israeli attacks. That dog will not hunt. Israel has no interest in attacking Iran, a country 10 times its size and at some distance away. Unless, of course, Iran decides that developing nuclear weapons will give it a chance to exterminate the Jewish vermin. Repeatedly over the years, as leader of the Revolutionary government of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called Israel a “cancerous tumour” that must be “uprooted and destroyed.”
Attempting to equate this regime and its terror front group, Hamas, as an honest broker in the Middle East defies logic. While Arab-Israeli relations are intricate, the Abraham Accords and widespread Arab recognition of Israel highlight Iran as an exception. Their antisemitic regime sponsored the Oct 7, 2023, attack that killed over 1,200 innocent Jews has unmasked them as the cancer in the Middle East. It would be refreshing to hear a Canadian leader accurately describe the situation in this region. Carney had that opportunity last week, following Trump’s announcement of a successful bombing mission. Instead, the usual hollow words of a middling and grey prime minister sounded forth, reminding us that a clownish figure no longer leads us, but neither does one with a fresh vision or a renewed understanding of the Middle East represent our interests either. Carney, like on most issues, may play the part more seriously or look more dignified, but his words do not meet the moment. Content to dither rather than to take a bold stand or convey an updated policy, Carney has not moved us ahead, only sideways, still stuck in a ditch, still spinning our wheels about Iran.
A pragmatic foreign policy might involve pushing Iranian leaders to acknowledge Israel’s existence, perhaps even supporting regime change, even if this antagonizes the Laurentian Elite. No Canadian troops are implied, yet this resonates deeply with the wishes of millions of Iranians, especially women suffering under outdated systems. Yielding Canada’s role as a defender of freedom to a group of clerics following traditions created centuries ago does not align with most aspects of Liberal Party dogma or Canadian values. Sadly, Carney seems content to sputter empty words of support for the Iranian people but give refuge to the terrorists who act on their behalf and happily equate the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) with thugs who murder, rape, and torture a race of people who they define as unworthy of existence. Canada was a bystander in recent days when Trump used American power to ensure a dangerous governing entity would not obtain the ability to build a nuclear weapon and further threaten a race of people in the Middle East’s lone democracy. If Canada intends to play a major role in world diplomacy, it may have to set aside policies that served a different era. Policies that failed then and seem remarkably out of touch today reflect political games being played to assuage demographic statistics in voting districts needed to win elections. When did doing the right thing go out of fashion?
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
