Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto, December 12, 2023 – Canada’s position on a ceasefire in Gaza is finally moving forward. In addition to calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, Justin Trudeau today expressed Canada’s support for a ceasefire, heeding the calls of millions of Canadians.
We welcome this change in Canada’s position in favour of a ceasefire, both in the Prime Minister’s statement released today, together with Australia and New Zealand, and through the vote at the United Nations General Assembly in support of an immediate ceasefire. Humanitarian organizations have been calling for a ceasefire for weeks while witnessing the unimaginable death and destruction in Gaza. It is now urgent to make the resolution a reality as quickly as possible for the people of Gaza, including our teams on the ground, who are living in “apocalyptic” conditions according to the United Nations. We are ready to operate and eager to scale up our work to respond to the urgent needs of the entire population of Gaza.
We are pleased to see Canada take the opportunity to make a difference on the international stage and help alleviate the suffering of 2.3 million people in Gaza by complementing its funding of the emergency response with diplomatic efforts to halt the violence and enable the delivery of aid.
The diplomatic efforts undertaken with Australia and New Zealand must continue with other countries, particularly the United States, in order to continue to make progress towards the achievement of a permanent ceasefire, the single most important humanitarian response that Gaza needs now.
While our 10 humanitarian agencies are able to support our local teams and partner organizations who are still managing – against all odds – to deliver some life-saving aid, it is impossible for agencies to provide the full-scale humanitarian response that is desperately needed in the face of hostilities and ongoing closure of access points into Gaza.
Action Against Hunger Canada, CARE Canada, HelpAge Canada, Human Concern International, Humanity & Inclusion Canada, Doctors of the World Canada, Mennonite Central Committee Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Save the Children Canada.
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