Trudeau says no decision made on UNRWA funding

‘Protection of civilian life’ is top concern

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has not made a decision on restoring funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), but any choice it makes will be based on protecting civilian lives.

Trudeau made the comments Thursday in response to questions from reporters after reports that the government was considering restoring funding to the UN agency that provides relief in Gaza.

“We’re not making any announcements today. But we will continue to make sure Canada does the right thing in this situation and puts the protection of civilian life at the forefront of everything we do,” he said.

Canada and many other western nations suspended funding to the agency after Israel accused employees of UNWRA of having participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. Hamas launched raids in several Israeli communities on that day resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people with another 250 taken hostage.

Israel responded to the attack with an invasion of Gaza, which has led to an estimated 30,000 deaths. The region has had limited aid supplies since the conflict began and aid agencies have raised concerns about starvation.

Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen was set to hold a press conference on Wednesday alongside UN Ambassador Bob Rae, but that event was abruptly cancelled.

Prior to the pause, the Liberals had provided UNRWA with $90 million from 2019 to 2023, and last June the government announced it would give the agency an additional $100 million over the next four years. The Harper government suspended aid to the organization in 2010 over concerns about how the money was being spent.

Canada has not missed a payment since announcing the pause in funding in January. Its payment of $25 million for this year isn’t due until April.

Trudeau said he is conscious of the desperate need for aid on the ground in Gaza.

“We know how important it is to get aid into Gaza to help families, innocent civilians, the people who have been devastated by the past two months facing starvation facing instability and uncertainty,” he said.

Israel recently released recordings of UNRWA employees discussing their involvement in the attack and Trudeau said the government expects the UN to investigate those allegations. “At the same time, there are serious allegations being followed up by the United Nations and we’re going to continue to move thoughtfully forward but our priority will always be being there to protect innocent lives,” said Trudeau.

Two Liberal MPS, Marco Mendicino and Anthony Housefather, released a statement Thursday calling on the government to find new ways to get much needed aid to Gaza. They said Canada should not be working with UNRWA.

“Given its history, we believe the 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 and that there is a serious risk funds will be misappropriated by Hamas,” they said.

Liberal MP Salma Zahid argued against the UNRWA funding pause on the social media platform X, saying Canada needed to restore funding immediately. “We should never have suspended funding in the first place. I have been pushing for its restoration from day 1. There is no time for delay. Children in Gaza are dying of hunger and malnutrition. Funding must be restored immediately,” said Zahid.

Trudeau was also asked about large anti-israel protests that have taken place in cities across the country. Many of those protests have targeted Jewish neighbourhoods or synagogues.

The prime minister said Canadians have a right to free speech, but protests that aim to harass ethnic groups are wrong.

“Nobody can remain indifferent to the suffering and the anguish going on in Gaza right now. This loss of civilian lives and the impact on Canadian families and people who are worried about their loved ones is entirely understandable,” he said. “But when the protests turn to hatred, or to acts of harassment, particularly against fellow Canadians, there’s a line that’s crossed.”

He didn’t say what his government would do in response to the protests, but did say that far too many people feel targeted right now.

“I’ve heard from too many members of the Jewish community particularly who are seeing their synagogues or community centres, their neighbourhoods protested who feel unsafe in their own country.”