Parliament of Canada passes landmark resolution on Palestine issue
In order to establish justice and lasting peace in the conflict-ridden Middle East, Palestine must be recognized as an independent state.
A majority of lawmakers in the House of Commons, the lower house of Canada's parliament, voted in favor of such a proposal on Monday (March 18) local time.
The motion received 204 votes in favor and 117 against. This suggests that deep divisions remain within the Ottawa government over the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7 last year.
The motion, tabled by the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) in the House of Commons, basically called for Canada to recognize a 'Palestinian state'. But when it became clear that such recognition would not be possible, the NDP agreed to an amendment to the motion that supported a two-state solution. This is again the official position of Canada.
The proposal, meanwhile, includes a ban on arms sales to Israel, an immediate cease-fire and a ban on West Bank settlements, among other provisions.
This debate continued till evening. However, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a Muslim organization, expressed satisfaction with the results. And in a message on social media X, the organization said that the passage of such a resolution in the Parliament of Canada on the Palestinian issue is a historic change in Ottawa.