I doubt its about votes at this point but rather a sedative move.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference
Thursday to respond to questions, but he didn’t provide any answers.
Trudeau deflected a series of questions concerning everything from the appalling $100 million
fiasco that is the ArriveCan app, to Canada’s funding for the troubled and possibly terrorist-infiltrated United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, to the lack of support and cash for the armed forces.
Then, the next day, announcement on Friday afternoon 3:30 PM Ottawa time, and the end of the last business day before the start of Ramadan…is a coincidence.
Prime Minister Trudeau faced a dilemma over the matter of whether Canada would resume funding to UNRWA. The “pause” had
yet to affect UNRWA, however, because Canada pays the organization annually in $25 million installments, the next one being scheduled for April.
First, news dumps on Friday afternoon are the way governments announce decisions they hope most people won’t pay attention to as they head into the weekend.
Second, it was announced as Jews were about to observe their Sabbath, meaning Jewish organizations the government knew would oppose the measure were winding down operations for the week.
Third, the Trudeau government never paused funding to UNRWA, despite claiming to do so in January when a dozen staffers were accused of participating in or aiding Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Given that with the Trudeau government it’s all politics all the time, it’s not surprising International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced Friday afternoon that Canada is lifting its “temporary pause” on funding UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian relief agency in Gaza, which critics...
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Trudeau made a big show of pausing funding in January and resuming it now, the truth is, UNRWA never missed a payment.
The percentage of Muslims in Canada is 4.9% as of the 2021 census. In the Greater Toronto Area, 10% of the population is Muslim, and in Greater Montreal, 8.7% of the population is Muslim.
If in doubt, check the scoreboard. Canada’s next payment to UNRWA, of $25 million, isn’t due until April anyway.
(This might update tonight, but probably not until tomorrow)
Anthony Housefather,
who posted on X that he completely opposed his government’s decision, “without even having an interim report published by those investigating, when no funds are due until April and when we could have worked with the U.S. on their plans to deliver aid.”
Probe…Shmobe…that was sooo yesterday though. A total of 16 donors, including the United States and Britain,
paused their funding to UNRWA…& Canada under Harper stopped it in 2010 ‘cuz of the UNRWA affiliation with Hamas…but Justin overturned that in 2015 ‘cuz 2015.
Housefather and Liberal MP Marco Mendicino, who both represent ridings with large Jewish populations, said on X that while they support Canada funding humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, it should not be done through UNRWA, so this probably has nothing to do with votes either.
(This is from SIX years ago)
In addition to the current investigation, they said “UNRWA employees (about 12,000 in Gaza) have been sanctioned in the past for facilitating terrorist activity and for using antisemitic materials in educational textbooks. This misconduct has contributed to the spread of violence, disinformation and hate.
“Given its history, we believe that UNRWA lacks sufficient governance and internal controls to ensure that humanitarian aid delivered by Canada will be reliably delivered to those who actually need it” instead of ending up with Hamas.
Probe…Shmobe…that was sooo yesterday though. A total of 16 donors, including the United States and Britain,
paused their funding to UNRWA…& Canada under Harper stopped it in 2010 ‘cuz of the UNRWA affiliation with Hamas…but Justin overturned that in 2015 ‘cuz 2015.
The Trudeau government promised to pause UNRWA funding until the investigation into allegations that employees of the organization took part in the massacre were complete. There has not been a full investigation, just an internal interim report, and yet Canada announced funding would resume the same week Israel offered more evidence of UNRWA’s complicity in the attack.
The Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, aided by UNRWA, killed at least eight Canadians
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If the Trudeau government knows more due to that interim report, they aren’t saying. Asked directly on Friday what he saw in the report that made him comfortable with restoring UNRWA’s funding, International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen wouldn’t say.
He also wouldn’t say if the interim report showed proof of UNRWA workers taking part in the Oct. 7 massacre.
“I will urge you to contact the U.N. itself to provide the report to you,” Hussen said, referring to the interim report that isn’t even published yet?
The world can see the rot in the United Nations agency UNRWA now but a few weeks ago, the Trudeau government advocated giving them more money.
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