(Ottawa) If the Bloc Québécois did not join the delegation of deputies that visited Israel a few days ago, it was because it would have sent a message that contradicted a call for peace, said chef Yves-François Blanchet on Tuesday .
Published at 11:52 am.
“I believe that at that moment it could have sent a message that we are not prepared to send,” the leader argued at a news conference.
“I have the impression that we would not control the message that was being sent out there. The mere presence of MPs traveling to Israel in the current context risks not being seen as a call for peace. At this point, I do not want to advocate anything other than a call for peace,” he continued.
Five MPs – two Liberals and three Conservatives – visited Israel last week. Despite repeated inquiries to parties and elected officials, it was not possible to find out who covered the costs for this trip.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s public relations firm, The Narrative Agency, also declined to comment. “As everyone’s circumstances are different, any questions about MPs’ participation and costs should be directed to their parliamentary offices,” it said.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) did not respond to several inquiries from La Presse last week regarding the absence of its party’s MPs. According to our information, the visit was organized by the Canada-Israel Friendship Group, whose vice-president is New Democrat Randall Garrison.
The three-day visit, which took place from November 20 to 22, included meetings with survivors of the October 7 Hamas attacks and local elected officials.