Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting virtually with his cabinet today to discuss the state of trade negotiations with the U.S. and the situation in the Middle East.
The meeting, set for 2 p.m. ET., comes as trade talks escalate and as Canada's closest peers move toward recognizing a Palestinian state.
Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, is in Washington today meeting with U.S. officials.
Carney said Monday that Canada's negotiations with the United States are in an "intense phase" after President Donald Trump clinched a critical agreement with the European Union.
Trump told reporters last week that Canada wasn't a priority ahead of his Aug. 1 deadline to make trade deals.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Carney spoke Tuesday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after Starmer said the U.K. would officially recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not implement a ceasefire and drastically scale up aid in Gaza, where numerous humanitarian groups say starvation is taking place.
Canada co-signed a statement with allied countries Tuesday to "express the willingness … of our countries to recognize the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call."
The statement included France, Australia and New Zealand; France announced last week it will recognize a Palestinian state. The statement came out after a major conference at the United Nations on the two-state solution, which Israel and the U.S. boycotted.
Jewish advocacy group B'nai Brith Canada criticized Canada's stance at that conference, which it said "promoted a one-sided narrative that excused terrorism, legitimized authoritarian regimes, and obstructed any serious path to peace."
The group said remarks about Israeli policies driving violence by Palestinians were inappropriate and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s comments about the conflict being rooted in duelling narratives were "deeply troubling."
Advocates for a Palestinian state say Israel is trying to block all routes to self-determination, noting that Israeli cabinet ministers have talked openly of ethnically cleansing the territories that Israel occupies.
"We are failing the test set by us to prevent mass humanitarian tragedies," Liberal MP Will Greaves said Sunday in a video posted on social media in which he endorsed Palestinian statehood.
"Crimes against civilians, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and acts of genocide are never justified — nor is criminal impunity for the leaders who order or permit such acts to occur."
Canada has said it wants the Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza, but only after the organization undertakes deep reforms. The Palestinian Authority is widely accused of corruption and hasn't held elections since 2006.
Ottawa pledged $10 million this week to "accelerate reform and capacity-building for the Palestinian Authority."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward
