New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney must chart a new course on Palestine

This week, Canada elected a new prime minister, Mark Carney. In his victory speech upon his election, he indicated a commitment to a new chapter for Canada, one where the country will cease integration with the U.S. and forge a new path forward on foreign policy. Many are hoping this includes a new course for Canadian foreign and domestic policy on Palestine. Prime Minister Carney now has a chance to chart a new course and must act to help stop these atrocities that our country has sustained. 

Trudeau’s legacy abetting genocide

In March 2025, the former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, stepped down following a slump in support from the public and within his own government. This drop in support was for a multitude of reasons, including his policies on the Gaza genocide.  

Throughout his terms, Trudeau notably did not express any real empathy toward Palestinians, and demonized and tried to silence people trying to end Canadian complicity in the genocide in Palestine. In addition, he allowed illegal land sales of occupied Palestinian land, refused to recognize the state of Palestine, did not implement an arms embargo, and even temporarily suspended funding to UNRWA even though there was a lack of evidence supporting claims of wrongdoing by the organization. In one of his final acts, while Gaza was under a total siege of humanitarian aid, he declared himself a Zionist. Despite the finding of plausible genocide by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, under Trudeau’s watch, Canada has not applied a single sanction on Israeli government officials or military leaders. Trudeau’s legacy during this genocide has been written, but across the country, the public is calling for change in Canada’s foreign policy. 

Human rights organizations recognized Trudeau’s shameful record. A December 2024 Amnesty International report concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and noted that “despite…shocking level of Palestinian civilian casualties and of destruction, the USA, Canada, the UK, some European states…. Continued to publicly back Israel’s offensive, refusing to call for a ceasefire, even though the majority of UN member states across the world did support such measures”. Even though Canada stated it would implement an arms embargo on Israel almost one year ago, only around 10% of existing permits of weapons shipping directly to Israel have been cancelled, leaving around 200 permits still open. Further, the vast majority of military equipment from Canada to Israel flows without permits through the U.S.. Details of these secretive deals are often uncovered by activists, including a recently discovered contract for a General Dynamics factory in Quebec, Canada, to fill a contract for artillery propellant – destined for Israel. Just days ago, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention – the world’s leading genocide prevention institute – explicitly named Canada as a shameful perpetrator of genocide stating, “The Lemkin Institute condemns Israel, Europe, Canada, and the USA for perpetrating genocide in Gaza. It is a moral wrong that should haunt these countries for eternity.”

There have been sustained and increasing protests across the country calling on government officials to shift their foreign policy on Palestine/Israel, and a survey from June 2024 showed that 45% of Canadians agreed with the statement “Israel is committing ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip”. Under Trudeau this popular support was not translated into policy, might this now change?

A possibility for change?

Mark Carney holds a PhD in economics and worked at Goldman Sachs before being appointed by then-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2008. He left in 2013 after being recruited to be the first non-British Governor of the Bank of England, and was subsequently appointed as the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, also serving on the boards of several multi-billion-dollar companies. He stepped down from all of these positions earlier this year in order to replace Trudeau as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada – a centrist/centre-left party. Trudeau was forced out after the Deputy Prime Minister resigned and the majority of his party asked him to step down. Carney won the subsequent Liberal Party leadership race, securing 86.8% of the vote. 

Overall, little is known about Mark Carney’s stance on Palestine. Prior to his re-entry into Canadian politics earlier this year, Carney had not commented publicly on Palestine, and he has been involved in almost no substantive action other than the recent approval of approximately  $100 million (CAD) in new aid to the occupied Palestinian territory. However, his recent words have signalled a possible departure from Justin Trudeau’s approach, and there appears to be more freedom for politicians in his government to speak out, with many individuals talking openly about the genocide, while Trudeau was accused of censorship. 

In a recent French language interview, when asked what he would say to Netanyahu about plans to seize land in Gaza, Carney stated “I start with a common theme in the three situations of Canada, of Ukraine, of Gaza. It’s about territorial integrity. This is absolutely untouchable…the situation in Gaza is horrible…Canada can play a role in humanitarian aid, but above all it must…stand up for principles of human dignity and the rights of all individuals”. 

Carney also made waves days later when someone at a campaign rally yelled, “There is a genocide happening in Palestine!”. Carney replied, “I’m aware. That’s why we have an arms embargo”. Hours later, he backtracked, claiming that he didn’t hear the “that word” [genocide], and clarified that Canada does not have an arms embargo, but rather restrictions on most new weapons permits shipped directly to Israel. 

During this election campaign, Carney was interrupted at almost every single campaign stop across the country by people who do not want this country to be complicit in the genocide in Palestine. In fact, in early April at a campaign event in Toronto, I was one of those people. I asked why Canada continues to send weapons to Israel via the United States to kill our community’s families. He did not directly answer my question but stated that Canada is “not perfect.”

I was escorted out by one of his staff members, who told me that they agreed with me and knew people killed by Israel, but that this was not the time and place to raise my concern. I wondered, when is the time and place to discuss Canada’s involvement in this genocide, including the slaughter of at least 17,400 children, and a complete blockade on all food, medicines, and humanitarian aid, now for more than 60 days? Our conversation ended abruptly because a woman had a medical emergency, and being a physician, I rushed over to help. We called an ambulance and I stayed with her. My mind was overflowing with thoughts of my colleagues in Palestine – targeted for being health workers, perhaps with military equipment coming from the country where I was standing. When is the right time to talk about Israel systematically dismantling the health system, bombing hospitals, killing over 1,200 health care providers – burying some of them in mass graves, and kidnapping hundreds of my health worker colleagues – torturing some of them to death? The man we were there to see – now Canada’s elected leader – has the power to act. 

The most surprising part of the experience was the number of strangers who told me that they agreed with me, that people “have eyes and know what’s going on”, saying that Canada should be doing more. Many people do not want Canadian money, resources, and diplomatic support going to these heinous crimes – political choices made as people here in Canada are struggling to find adequate jobs, medical care, food, shelter, and other basics. 

The challenge ahead

Following the atrocities of the Second World War, Canada was one of the countries at the forefront of the creation of international human rights law  – laws that we have watched crumble under Israeli bombardment and siege. Justin Trudeau has written his chapter in history, leading Canada’s involvement in the genocide in Palestine. 

Many in Canada are demanding an end to our involvement in what have been some of the most heinous crimes seen in our lifetimes; and want to build a future where all people are treated as deserving of safety, liberation, and justice. It is now up to Prime Minister Carney to make this a reality.