Canada made a mockery of not one, but two Middle Eastern allies in the same week
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The Trudeau government’s message to our Middle Eastern allies is clear: Canada is a fair weather friend. Stand with us at your peril, because when you’re in the crosshairs, we’ll be too busy polishing our image and playing domestic politics to notice your plight.
Canada made a mockery of not one, but two Middle Eastern allies in the same week — Israel publicly, and the Iraqi Kurds quietly. Make no mistake: the damage we are doing to our friends in the region is catastrophic.
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It’s a far cry from the “whole-of-government approach to the Middle East” that Ottawa has touted. The Trudeau government is simply ad-libbing its way through international crises — and Canada’s allies are paying the price.
This isn’t just a failure, it’s a disgrace. It’s a shameful chapter in Canada’s history that reveals a frightening truth: our commitments are as shallow as the political gains they secure. When the chips are down, when our allies face existential threats, Canada’s support is nowhere to be found.
The March 18 circus in the House of Commons over an NDP motion that fundamentally altered 50 years of Canadian foreign policy toward Israel is hard proof.
In a display that could only be described as political theatre at its most bewildering, the governing Liberals, in a last-ditch effort to curry domestic favour and prevent a public rift in their caucus, stitched together a hasty pact with the NDP.
It wasn’t strategic foreign policy, rooted in vision or morality. It was opportunistic improvisation, with the gravitas of Canadian foreign policy seemingly scribbled on the back of a napkin in the process.
The vote signalled a stark shift in stance, effectively sidelining Israel, a fellow bastion of liberal democracy in a region where such ideals are increasingly besieged.
The spectacle that followed — a round of self-congratulatory backslapping and high-fiving among Liberals and New Democrats — was not just a celebration of political manoeuvring; it was a public mourning for Canadian dignity and respect on the global stage, sacrificed at the altar of opportunistic politics.
While all eyes were focused on the performative politics in the House, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, during his visit to Canada.
The official readout from Global Affairs Canada says they met to discuss “shared interests of their two countries, including the promotion of inclusive security, stability and prosperity in Iraq and in the Middle East.”
Apparently, the security of our one-time Kurdish friends is no longer a priority, as the readout fails to mention the plight of Iraqi Kurds or the challenges of the Kurdish Regional Government even once.
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While Joly may have “reflected” on the progress made against ISIS with the Iraqi foreign minister, the progress wasn’t his to claim. It was the leadership of Kurdish Peshmerga forces that reclaimed Mosul, after Baghdad oversaw a withdrawal of Iraqi forces from the city just a few years earlier. And though the Iraqi Army was part of the coalition that reclaimed the city, the Kurds did the heavy lifting.
What’s become of Canada’s moral compass? Are we so lost in the performative politics of the moment that we’ve forgotten our true allies? The Kurds aren’t just another issue to be debated over coffee; they’re flesh and blood, fighting for their lives and their homeland. They’ve asked for our help repeatedly, and we’ve turned our backs, distracted by the next headline or diplomatic soiree.
Canadian values — which are celebrated for championing freedom, human rights and democracy — resonate deeply with Kurdish aspirations. The Iraqi Kurds, with their commitment to democracy and multiculturalism, mirror the very principles Canada purports to stand for on the global stage.
This shared ethos — built on a foundation of mutual respect for diversity, inclusivity and the relentless quest for justice — should naturally align Canada as a steadfast ally to the Kurdish people, who have consistently demonstrated these values in their governance, their communities and, most notably, in their heroic stand against tyranny and extremism in the heart of the Middle East.
Our shared fight against the forces of ISIS should make this bond unquestionable.
Yet, in 2017, when the Kurdish people were preparing for a historic referendum on independence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau simply said that he “respects the process,” when asked if Canada would support an independent Kurdistan.
Not dissimilar language was used by his government to describe Canada’s position on South Africa’s claim of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In both cases, the intent behind the cryptic nature of the language was to mask their lack of support for one of Canada’s friends.
The referendum ultimately passed with a whopping 93 per cent of Iraqi Kurds voting in support. It was promptly ignored by Ottawa, and Baghdad used it as an excuse to impede the sovereignty of the Kurds.
The Peshmerga did their job. They did the lion’s share of the work to defeat ISIS. Once that threat was repelled, Baghdad turned on the Kurds it had once fought alongside.
In 2017, the Iraqi Army seized the predominantly Kurdish city of Kirkuk. Today, Kirkuk’s Kurds are facing ethnic cleansing, with Kurds being removed from their homes and their properties seized in a renewal of the “Arabization” campaigns first implemented by Saddam Hussein, in an effort to stamp out Iraq’s ethnic minorities.
Canada’s response was not to condemn these ongoing crimes, but to host the foreign minister of the country responsible, a country that is increasingly becoming a proxy of Iran, complete with a smiling photo-op.
I reached out to Joly’s press secretary and asked if the minister brought up Kurdish security, sovereignty or the campaign of Arabization occurring in areas under Iraqi control. No answer was received. You can draw your own conclusions on what that means.
Whether it was discussed or not, neither Joly nor Global Affairs Canada has mentioned these issues in official statements, nor have they condemned the violence against Kurds.
It’s yet another example of Canadian foreign policy adrift. Yet another example of how standing with Canada on the world stage doesn’t pay when it’s your turn to face an existential threat.
The Kurdish people, who bore the brunt of the fight against the global menace of ISIS, now face existential threats — abandoned by a Canada that’s too busy playing popularity politics to lift a finger.
Canada’s betrayal of the Kurds isn’t just a blunder, it’s a slap in the face that reeks of hypocrisy. The Kurds did the dirty work so that we could sleep a little easier at night. And how do we repay them?
By cutting off our military support, by freezing them out and by leaving our promises of military aid and firepower unfulfilled. By standing silently by while Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish forces and their proxies undermine the Kurdish right to self-determination. By ignoring their pleas for help as they face ethnic cleansing.
This negligence is a stark declaration: Canada’s allegiance is alarmingly conditional, ready to dissolve under the veneer of political expediency. The Kurds, having stood valiantly against the tide of extremism, now face existential threats alone, as Canada turns a blind eye, prioritizing fleeting domestic agendas over steadfast international alliances.
Like Israel, the Kurds deserve better than our silence and neglect. They deserve our voice, our support, our solidarity. Anything less is a betrayal not just of them, but of what we claim to stand for.
Ottawa’s failures all point to a stark new reality: Canada is willing to abandon its friends on the world stage. It won’t go unnoticed. Not by our allies abroad, and not by voters at home. If the polls are any guide, much-needed change is coming, and it simply cannot happen soon enough.
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