QUEBEC – Typically prompt to pronounce or deplore international conflicts, the National Assembly remains silent on the war ravaging Iran and the countries in the Middle East for the past month.
Parties often unite to call for the peaceful resolution of conflicts according to a well-established tradition in Quebec. However, in this case, no motion has been tabled in the Chamber, even though the war in Iran has direct consequences on the daily lives of Quebecers who are flocking to gas stations.
The Parliament has expressed itself many times through motions in the past regarding the war in Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the acts of violence by armed groups in Haiti. However, this time, no political party has officially stepped forward in the Red Room.
The Minister of International Relations, Christopher Skeete, had called on March 3 for a “de-escalation of the conflict by prioritizing the search for peaceful solutions, in the interest of civilian populations in Iran and in the entire region,” but did not speak on the issue in Parliament.
The opposition parties indicated on Wednesday that there had been no proposed motion circulating among them on this issue for it to be tabled in the Chamber.
The Liberal leader Charles Milliard stated that his party does not have an official position since foreign affairs are under federal jurisdiction.
“We have a role, of course, to play and we have to comment on the impact on the price of gasoline, for example,” he said at a press conference. “But I note, like you, that there has been no official position taken in the Assembly.”
The parliamentary leader of Quebec solidaire (QS), Alexandre Leduc, underscored that his party had taken a position on social media in support of Iranians.
“There is a foreign aggression by the United States and Israel against the regime,” he mentioned. “This is a situation where we are neither in support of the ayatollahs, of course, nor support the bombings.”
QS subsequently conveyed to La Presse Canadienne messages published by its members on social media, including Ruba Ghazal who lamented that “the lives of women and children shatter” when “the bombs fall.”
Similarly, his colleague Andrés Fontecilla denounced “the attack by the United States and Israel against Iran, which constitutes an illegal aggression and a flagrant violation of international law.”
Last week, QS distanced itself from a rally in support of the Iranian regime where the party’s flag had been displayed.
In a press release, the PQ deputy Pascal Paradis recalled that he had denounced the “dictatorial regime” in Iran while calling for a solution in accordance with international law to avoid escalation.
He added that this conflict once again highlights the fact that Quebec, as a mere province, cannot defend its interests on the international stage while its citizens are affected by the rise in fuel prices.
Mr. Paradis, who was a founding member and general manager of Avocats sans frontières Canada, expressed himself at the beginning of the conflict in Iran.
“The regime of Ayatollah Khamenei has used violence against its own population and has committed atrocities against civilians, resulting in between 6,000 and 30,000 deaths in just the past year according to various sources,” he wrote on the X platform.
“This regime is also a major threat to international security, against which the nations of the world have the right to protect themselves,” he added, mentioning that “the fate of Iran lies in the hands of the Iranian people” and that “too often, such military interventions do not lead to the hoped-for liberation or the establishment of democracy.”
It is worth noting that a motion formulates a position of the Assembly once it is adopted, but it cannot bind the government.
