Canada will be holding a parliamentary election on April 28. Unlike the US, where voters choose the president directly, in Canada, the leader of the party with the largest representation in Parliament becomes prime minister. After Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister, he was replaced as leader of the Liberal Party by Mark Carney, a banker — at one time, he was even the head of the Bank of England — with no previous political or foreign policy experience. The Conservative Party is headed by the admirable Pierre Poilievre, who is now running slightly behind Carney in the polls.
At the first, French-language debate, held on April 16, Canada’s aid to UNRWA was discussed. Poilievre is a firm supporter of Israel, while Carney has vowed to continue Trudeau’s policy of putting an embargo on most weapons to Israel. Carney has been harsh in his criticism of Israel, while Poilievre opposes the embargo and wants Canada to stand firmly in support of the Jewish state.
More on their debate, as it pertains to Israel and the Palestinians, can be found here: “Poilievre vows UNRWA funding cut over Hamas ties, Carney wants to maintain it,” by Michael Starr, Jerusalem Post, April 17, 2025:
Canadian funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) became a hotly contested item during the Wednesday federal party leaders’ French-language election debate, with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney confirming that he would continue funding the international program, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre vowing to support of UNRWA, and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh slamming Poilievre’s description of the UN agency’s ties to Hamas.
Jagmeet Singh is the far-left head of the New Democratic Party. He is deeply anti-Israel. One wonders how it is that a Sikh would side with Muslims, when historically the Sikhs in India have been oppressed under Mughal rule; their leaders so often tortured and executed by Muslim rulers. Indeed, Sikhism became militarized in order to withstand Muslim invaders; its members formed a kind of warrior caste better able than the Hindus to push back against Muslim ghazis. Jagmeet Singh does not recognize that the world’s Muslims who want to obliterate Israel would, if they could, also oppress and destroy the Sikhs in India and Pakistan.
According to a live stream and its translation on the Cable Public Affairs Channel, when the debate between the Canadian federal leaders turned to the topic of reducing foreign aid, Poilievre said that he would end funding UNRWA, among other issues.
“We saw UNRWA, the organization in the Gaza Strip, whose employees took part in the attacks of October 7. So I don’t think we should be funding that type of activity either. The aid we give should be directly to people in need and not through multinational bureaucracies and terrorists,” said Poilievre. “Nonprofit groups will deliver the services directly to Gazans because it is a waste of money when the money is not even getting to the people.”
Poilievre reminded his audience that dozens of UNRWA members took part in the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He could also have noted that many hundreds of UNRWA employees turn out to be members of Hamas, as the Israelis discovered when the IDF found Hamas records in Gaza. Poiievre has also said that he agrees with the Israelis, who refuse to send aid into Gaza that will only be appropriated — stolen — at once by Hamas operatives, who take a large portion of that aid for their own members and their extended families, and another large amount is taken to be resold by Hamas to the very people, the civilians in Gaza, who were supposed to receive that aid for free. What Israel would like to ensure is that when aid deliveries are renewed, that either the IDF itself or private contractors — but not Hamas — will be in charge of distributing the aid directly to Gazan civilians.
Singh responded that if an organization has issues it should be investigated, but what Poilievre said ‘about UNRWA was disgusting.’
“This is the only organization that is helping people on the ground,” said Singh. “You painted the entire organization with the same brush, calling it a terrorist organization. That is unacceptable, that is hateful, and is entirely inappropriate.”
No, Pierre Poilievre did not call UNRWA “a terrorist organization.” He said, correctly, that many of UNRWA’s staff had terrorist ties, that dozens had joined Hamas’ attack on Israelis on October 7, 2023, and hundreds of others were registered as members of Hamas. He might also have added that UNRWA allowed its schools to be taken over by Hamas, which hid both its weapons and its men inside those buildings without offering the slightest objection from UNRWA higher-ups in New York. Finally, he did not get to say, but perhaps will be able to in the English-language debate coming up, that UNRWA schoolbooks were full of antisemitic passages, passages that UNRWA has repeatedly promised to eliminate but has never yet done so, and that alone should cause Canada to withhold aid to UNRWA, as Poilievre, if he becomes prime minister, intends to do.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Was Maxine Bernier of the Canadian People’s Party at this debate? Or anyone else from his party?
On Jagmeet Singh, he is considered a separatist in India, and banned from that country. In fact, he is a not-minor reason behind India and Canada having strained relations. Many Hindus are scared of going to Canada, after several Khalistani threats against a Hindu temple in Brampton, and Hindus getting bullied not just by muslims, but by Khalistanis as well
In fact, that movement has been making a comeback in India, and an increasing number of Hindus, previously very cordial towards Sikhs, are now sick of them (pun not intended) and want nothing to do w/ them. Yeah, there are claims that a majority of Sikhs don’t support it, but anti-Hindu policies by Gurudwaras have driven a lot of Hindus to just stop going there
I do hope that Poilievre starts a crackdown on all immigrants – be it muslim or Sikh or anyone else – who instead of assimilating, just continue to make Canada a battleground for their various squabbles. If he just does that, he’ll go a long way towards securing the safety of both Jews and Hindus, and probably improve relations w/ both Israel and India
Ty Alder says
I live in a small BC community. Sikhs are EVERYWHERE now, as the Trudeau government started flooding thr country with immigtants, of which roughly 30% are Indian. Carney’s recent hire, Mark Wiseman, is a founder of the so called “Century Initiative”, a lobby group that aims to increase Canada’s population to 100 million by 2100, irrespective of the consequences. Wiseman has remarked that it is a waste of time screening immigrants. Why do they hate us?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
You don’t vote for them, so they want to dilute your vote to <50%. In that way, Canada would become like California, if it isn't already – where it would be impossible for Right-leaning parties to get elected
Does Canada have 100% employment and a workforce shortage that they need to increase their population 4-fold? What you seem to need is more automation to cover any such shortages
PacosMojo says
“The Conservative Party is headed by the admirable Pierre Poilievre, who is now running slightly behind Carney in the polls.”
Poilievre is a putz. He just happens to be slightly less “putzesque” than his opponent.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, I do wish the Canadian People’s Party would have at least more support than NDP
Ty Alder says
No chance. Canadians are like suicidal Europe and the Democrats in the US. They hate the west, western civilization, and western values in general.
James Lincoln says
PacosMojo says,
“Poilievre is a putz.”
Please explain why you think that is the case.
PacosMojo says
Let’s see….
He refused to meet with the truckers when they were being persecuted by the Trudeau regime.
He rarely if ever mentions the pogrom initiated against Canadian Christians, which went into high gear following debunked claims of mass graves being found under church grounds.
He remains a big fan of the war in Ukraine.
He saves his worst invective for actual Canadian conservatives, including the folks over at Rebel News.
Shall I continue?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, somehow, “conservative” leaders throughout the West – including Australia – seem to have a sacrament that they have to oppose Russia
That said, if Carney gets re-elected, the US should start to separate itself – our economy & everything else – from Canada, and have little to nothing to do w/ them
James Lincoln says
PacosMojo,
Thank you for your reply.
In your opinion, would Poilievre at least be better than the alternatives?
PacosMojo says
Let’s see….
He refused to meet with the truckers when they were being persecuted by the Trudeau regime.
He rarely if ever mentions the pogrom initiated against Canadian Christians, which went into high gear following debunked claims of mass graves being found under church grounds.
He remains a big fan of the war in Ukraine.
He saves his worst invective for actual Canadian conservatives, including the folks over at Rebel News.
Shall I continue?
ww3ww says
And in the end, Mahmoud Khalil costs the US instead of the sheriff simply driving him to the Canadian border and forcing him into Canada on foot.
Brenrod says
“This is the only organization that is helping people on the ground,” said Singh.
It’s futile to debate an unquestionable liar.
Brenrod says
“This is the only organization that is helping people on the ground,” said Singh.
It’s futile to debate an unquestionable liar.