Israel
Canadian PM seemingly accuses Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Mark Carney appeared to agree with a heckler who made the allegation, but later claimed he misheard
April 11, 2025 13:27
Mark Carney appeared to agree with a heckler who made the allegation, but later claimed he misheard
April 11, 2025 13:27Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has sparked a diplomatic row after appearing to accuse Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza.
During a Liberal Party rally in Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday, a pro-Palestine demonstrator yelled: “Mr Carney, there’s a genocide in Palestine”.
“I’m aware,” Carney told the protester, adding: “That’s why we have an arms embargo.”
However, Carney, who took over from Justin Trudeau as PM last month, claimed that he hadn’t heard a heckler properly when he made the remark.
Asked the next day to clarify his response, he said that he did not hear the word “genocide” and that he was just “stating a fact in terms of the arms restrictions”.
In September, the Trudeau government revealed it had revoked some 30 arms export permits issued for Israel before the previous January.
“It’s noisy… if you’re up there, you hear snippets of what people say,” Carney said. “My point was, I’m aware of the situation in Gaza.”
But comments did not go down well in Jersualem, with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, taking to X with a scathing criticism of the former Bank of England governor.
He wrote: ““Canada has always sided with civilisation. So should Mr. Carney.
“But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the only Jewish state.
“Mr Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement”
It follows a similar spat when, last month, Carney charged – without naming Israel – that it was wrong to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip.
“It has been more than two days that the supply of electricity to Gaza has been shut off,” he stated at the time. “It must resume. Essentials including food, electricity and medical supplies should never be used as political tools.”
Carney added: “Canada must work with our allies to stand up for international law to promote sustainable peace and security in the Middle East and to support full access to humanitarian aid for Palestinian families.
“As this work continues, both parties must work towards the return of all hostages and the completion of the ceasefire agreement.”
A number of Pro-Israel commentators and Canadian politicians denounced the post.
Commenting on the latest incident Jeremy Levi, the Conservative mayor of of Hampstead, Quebec – home to the highest concentration of Jews in the country – said: “Mark Carney has torn off the mask – revealing not just cowardice, but a disgraceful betrayal of moral clarity.
"By siding with a heckler and endorsing the false, slanderous claim of 'genocide' in Israel, he has shown himself unworthy of leadership or respect.”