MP Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition in parliament, pledged this week that if he is elected prime minister, he will act to move the Canadian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Makor Rishon reported on Friday.
Poilievre spoke at the House of Parliament in Ottawa to Chaim Silberstein and Ran Yishai of the Im Eshkacheck-KeepJerusalem association that promotes research and policy on keeping Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel.
It should be noted that Canada’s next federal election will take place on or before 20 October 2025, so this check can’t be cashed for about three years.
The previous chairman of the Conservative Party, Erin O’Toole, also made a similar commitment regarding moving the Canadian embassy to the capital, if his party came to power. The last time Canada had a Conservative at the help was in 2015.
In 2017, when the UN assembly passed a resolution against the United States moving its embassy to Jerusalem, only nine members objected (including the US and Israel), 128 voted in favor, and 35 abstained. Canada was among the countries that abstained.
Earlier this week, in response to the murder of Canadian citizen Aryeh Shchupak in a blast in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “Incredibly saddened to learn about the death of a young Canadian in the terrorist attack in Jerusalem. I’m sending his family and friends my deepest condolences. I’m also thinking of those who were injured. Canada condemns this violence in the strongest possible terms.”
At least he didn’t abstain this time.
In the conversation with Poilievre, the MP was referring to the attack when he said, according to Yishai: “In the election campaign, I said that I recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and today as the head of the opposition, the leader of the Conservative Party, and a sitting member of parliament, I repeat and say clearly and unequivocally – Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and when I am elected prime minister of Canada I will see to it that the embassy is moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”
In the September 2021 election, results were pretty close: Trudeau’s Liberals won 157 seats compared to the Conservatives’ 121.
