The NDP, the fourth largest political party in Canada’s parliament that has a deal with the governing minority Liberals to keep the party in power until at least 2025, was slammed by a watchdog organization this week for calling on the government to enact anti-Israel boycotts and demanding an end to arms sales.
Honest Reporting Canada noted that Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, NDP critic for foreign affairs, released a statement on behalf of the party calling on Canada to “foster peace in Israel and Palestine.”
Describing the Netanyahu government as “extreme” and alleging that they had taken “alarming actions” and are “committed to dismantling Israeli institutions, including its judiciary, its parliament, and its media,” McPherson falsely claimed that Israel was responsible for “terrifying, disturbing and brutal violence at al-Aqsa during Ramadan.”
Asserting that “we are at a dangerous moment with little prospect for peace and justice. Many international experts warn that the situation will only get worse under this government, and the two-state solution is hanging by a thread” and adding that “in this moment, Canada is absent. While the Liberals condemn, they refuse to act,” McPherson called on Canada to boycott “far-right extremists in the Israeli government, including Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir.”
She also called for Canada to ban all arms sales to Israel “until such time as Palestinian human rights are respected.”
Further demanding that the Canadian government “ban the import of all goods produced specifically in illegal settlements, as human rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for,” the MP claimed that the measure “is especially urgent given the current government’s moves towards annexation of Palestinian territory.”
“Canada must not permit the trade in goods produced as a result of land theft, discrimination, or displacement, which is contrary to international law,” McPherson said.
The statement, which Honest Reporting Canada denounced for including “a number of false and misleading claims about Israeli actions and policies and singled out Israel for censure and opprobrium,” was shared by her on Twitter to her 11,200 followers.
“Canada needs to do far more to foster peace and justice in Israel and Palestine. The NDP is calling on the government to take several steps to move its foreign policy forward with full respect for human rights and international law,” she tweeted.
“McPherson is known for her long-time criticism of Israel and recently apologized for sharing a podium at a press conference with an individual accused of antisemitism,” Honest Reporting Canada said.
“The seemingly endless violence between Israel and Palestinian terrorist organizations is undoubtedly distressing, but the statement disseminated online and on social media by Heather McPherson and the NDP only serves to place the blame entirely at Israel’s feet, without acknowledging the central role that Palestinians have in the funding, incitement and execution of terrorist activities, which continues to perpetuate conflict that harms both Palestinians and Israelis alike,” they added.
“If the NDP wants to play a constructive and important role in fostering Mideast peace and promoting human rights, it should call on the Palestinians to disavow terrorism and sit down with their Israeli counterparts and engage in good faith, bilateral negotiations to resolve the conflict.”