Joly to Israel: 'Take the win' in thwarting Iran's weekend attack, don't retaliate
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she's urging Israel to de-escalate rising conflicts in the Middle East and not bomb Iran in retaliation for this past weekend's thwarted airstrikes.
"We think that it is important that Israel be able to protect itself, and it has done so over the weekend," Joly said Monday on Parliament Hill.
On Saturday, Iran launched its first-ever military assault on Israel, with hundreds of drones and missiles Tehran says were aimed at military infrastructure.
Joly said she has since spoken with Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz to discourage his government from responding with direct strikes against Iran.
"I've been clear to my counterpart in Israel, please take the win, and make sure that we can work together to bring back peace in the region," she said.
"Canada is pushing diplomatically to stop further escalation."
Israel and Iran have been in a proxy war for years, with Israel accusing Tehran of empowering groups like Hezbollah and Hamas to attack Israel.
Israel is widely believed to have been behind the April 1 airstrike on Iran's embassy in Syria,which killed senior military officers. International rules that protect diplomatic missions generally view attacks on embassies as targeting the states those buildings represent.
Iran retaliated with a series of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles Saturday and Sunday, the vast majority of which Israel and Jordan managed to intercept.
Israeli Iron Dome air defence system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/AP Photo)
The heightened tensions prompted the opposition Conservatives to once again introduce a motion in Parliament that would list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran's army, as a terrorist group.
MPs in 2018 voted for a motion to list the group, though the Liberals have resisted following through, saying that it's up to security officials to impartially designate terror groups.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has argued that listing the IRGC in the Criminal Code as a terrorist group would punish Canadians who were drafted into Iran's military by force.
Ottawa has instead implemented an entry ban on people who have been members of the group's higher ranks since November 2019.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis asked the Commons on Monday to again call for such a listing.
"I hope that after six years of delay, that this government will finally, actually do it," Genuis told the House.
The motion would fast-track a private member's bill that would classify IRGC as a terrorist group "at the earliest opportunity following this weekend's events, and in the most efficient way possible," he said.
The motion was debated for more than an hour Monday.
Joly said the government has already asked Public Safety Canada to explore such a listing and will "continue to put maximum pressure against the Iranian regime."
She also said she'll discuss more sanctions on Iran at this week's meeting with her fellow foreign ministers in the G7 bloc of like-minded countries in Italy.
"As of now, under my purview, what we can do is quickly designate key individuals that are part of these activities that are criminal activities against Israelis and also against our interests."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2024.
Correction
This is a corrected story. A previous version said the attack began on Sunday.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Kamala Harris tells Oprah any intruder to her home is 'getting shot'
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday issued a warning to any potential home intruder: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot.'
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
Woman shot by B.C. police was Colombian refugee with young daughter, advocate says
Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
Video released of person of interest after cat is allegedly set on fire in Orillia, Ont.
Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.
Local Spotlight
'Sheer excitement': Manitoba photographer snaps photo of lightning strike and double rainbow
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
'It was a shock': Business pays Moncton not-for-profit's mortgage
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
Heroic dog saved his northern Ont. owner who had a massive heart attack
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
Brides and vendors claim they were ripped off by Barrie, Ont. photographer
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
'Trove of extraordinary fossils' discovered in northern B.C., museum says
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
Missing 28-year-old donkey found dead, believed to have been killed by cougar
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
'The gift they gave us was their service': 50 years since first female troop joined the RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
Young family from northern Ontario wins $70 million Lotto Max jackpot
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
'The right thing to do': Good Samaritan builds new bottle cart for Moncton man who had his stolen
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.