The relatives of Canadians killed by Hamas in Israel two years ago are criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney for not meeting with them since he took office.
A group called the Association of Families of the Canadian Victims of October 7th went public with their concerns on the two-year anniversary of the attacks earlier this month. In an open letter to Carney, the group said that he had not met with victims' families, unlike leaders of the U.S., France and the U.K.
"He ignored every message and every letter that we sent him," said Iris Weinstein Haggai, whose parents were killed by Hamas in the brutal Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
"It was just very, very frustrating to understand that my prime minister in Canada doesn't understand the nightmare I'm in."
The families say former prime minister Justin Trudeau met with any relative of a victim who requested a meeting, while Carney still has not called them to express his condolences.
The group said it started hearing back from Carney's office only after The Canadian Press asked for its response to the criticism.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office sent a statement to The Canadian Press naming all of the Canadians "who were brutally murdered in Hamas’ heinous terrorist attacks."
"The prime minister wants to meet with the families as soon as possible, and his office is currently working to find a date that will be convenient for everyone," wrote communications director Jane Deeks.
Weinstein Haggai's mother, Judih, was the sole Canadian taken by Hamas into the Gaza Strip during the attack. She held Canadian, Israeli and American citizenships, having been born in New York State. She moved to Toronto at age three and relocated 20 years later to Israel, where she lived for roughly five decades.
Israeli officials said in late December 2023 they believed her to be dead. This past June, the Israeli military announced it had recovered her body.
Weinstein Haggai said she had heard from senior American and Israeli officials at that point, but not from Carney's government.
"My mother was the only Canadian hostage," she said. "And I know my mother was murdered and she wasn't alive, but she was still a hostage. Our lives were still held hostage, because we didn't have certainty. We didn't have the ability to mourn."
The association has called out the Carney government for not mentioning the hostages in the prime minister's readouts of calls with key players such as Qatar, and it also has sought prosecutions of Iranian officials who have supported Hamas.
"In the 207 days since you assumed office, you have not reached out to any of the families of Canadian victims, Canadians murdered in the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust," reads their open letter from earlier this year.
The association is calling for targeted sanctions on Hamas leaders that go beyond the existing terrorist designation.
Weinstein Haggai said Carney has been much harder to reach than Trudeau, who hosted multiple victims' families in Ottawa in March 2024.
Since that meeting, Weinstein Haggai has had regular WhatsApp exchanges with Mélanie Joly, first when she was minister of foreign affairs and more recently as industry minister.
She said Joly almost always responded to messages and had a caring tone. Weinstein Haggai had a second meeting with Trudeau in November 2024. Joly's staff and others tried to set up something similar with Carney, Weinstein Haggai said.
"Joly kept telling me that he's busy, that they're working hard on getting the hostages out. Of course I didn't believe anything," she said.
Jacqui Rivers Vital, whose daughter was killed by Hamas in the attacks, said she has been "pushing a lot" to talk to Carney. The association of relatives says Rivers Vital has asked for a meeting with Carney through Joly, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather.
Rivers Vital, who spends part of her time in Israel, told a virtual panel event earlier this month that she wants the prime minister to think hard about Canadians who were killed and tortured by Hamas — and to reflect on his decision to recognize a future Palestinian state.
Her daughter, Adi Vital-Kaploun, was born and raised in Israel but occasionally visited Canada.
"We have a shameful leader that decided to recognize the Palestinian state while we still had our hostages in the dungeons. And while Hamas is still very much in power," River Vital said during the Oct. 12 event.
"I'm back to square one, that he needs to know what happened to eight of his citizens."
Many of the families said they feel Ottawa does not fully accept that their relatives were Canadian, particularly those who had citizenship but primarily lived in Israel.
Weinstein Haggai, who grew up in Israel and lives in Singapore, said her mother represented the values that Canadians hold dear. She made puppets to help teach students English, and often posted haikus and mediations on YouTube.
She volunteered with groups helping the Palestinians who live in the gaza Strip, which sits less than three kilometres from her home, in a collective community called a kibbutz.
"My parents chose to live side by side with Gaza. They believed that peace is possible," Weinstein Haggai said. She still gets messages from those who say Judih inspired them.
"I can't truly tell you it's helping me to cope because I don't think I'm at that stage," she said.
Her friend Tamir Adar's body was still being held in Gaza during an interview The Canadian Press; he was returned a week ago to Israel.
"I'm in a little bit of a denial phase. Now that the hostages are coming back, I feel I'm starting to understand the magnitude of what we've been through."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
