Parry Sound-Muskoka Member of Parliament Scott Aitchison took to social media today to slam Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state.
“Sunday’s announcement came without any real progress toward peace. Hamas still holds hostages nearly two years after its horrific October 7 terrorist attack. There has been no renunciation of violence, and no meaningful negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognition under these circumstances does nothing to advance peace — it only rewards those who continue to fuel conflict,” he stated.
Aitchison noted that if a Palestinian state were to exist, it must be democratic, demilitarized, and free from terrorism.
“If a Palestinian state is to exist, it must be the result of a negotiated settlement — not a unilateral declaration. Such a state must be democratic, demilitarized, and free from terrorism. Prime Minister Carney has tied negotiations to future conditions — governance reforms, general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no role, and the demilitarization of the Palestinian state. Yet, there is no indication that any of these conditions will be met, and the Prime Minister has not said what he will do if they are not. In other words, recognition has been granted on little more than a promise,” stated the MP.
“With antisemitism rising here at home, this decision also sends a dangerous message to Jewish Canadians. At a time when Canada should be standing firmly with our democratic ally Israel, the government has chosen instead to undermine its security.
“Canadians want peace in the Middle East. But peace will only be possible when Hamas releases the hostages, renounces terror, and when Palestinians and Israelis can come to the table in good faith. Until then, empty gestures like this only make a fragile situation worse,” stated Aitchison.
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I remember my Grandmother sitting and patiently unravelling tangles of wool so she could knit. If I had a bird’s nest of fishing line to work on, Gramma was the one to go to. But I think the snafu that exists in the Middle east is a mess whose threads defy unraveling.
Some would claim the time of existence for the opposing sides to mean one or the other might claim dominance. If I ask Wikipedia to give me a time frame, the answer is pretty clear. King Saul, David and Solomon formed a unified kingdom in the 10th century BCE., that kingdom being conquered from the Philistines.
There is only one Jewish ‘state’. There is an alliance of 22 Arab States and 57 Islamic States. Hard for the singular state to find alliances there. But by the same token, there is no stated ‘Christian State”.
If it is something you were born to, brought up amid and an ideology you have been infused with, it may not be in your DNA, but it’s as close as you can get. Maybe genetic modification? You only feel as you feel and won’t be changed.
And then from downtown Canada comes pronouncements from both sides. Like we have any idea of what these people are suffering. Either side. My leaders are telling me that we have enough ‘good government’ that we can pontificate to other countries!
Keep you politics and opinions home. Make an effort with our own local tangles. Not saying we shouldn’t be concerned, just that this shower doesn’t have the answers.
Even my Gramma knew when it couldn’t be unraveled.
MP Scott Aitchison’s response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recognition of a Palestinian state is disappointing, not because he raises concerns, but because he misrepresents Canada’s position and reduces it to a partisan attack.
What the Prime Minister announced was not unilateral recognition without conditions. Canada’s stance is clear: a Palestinian state must be democratic, demilitarized, and free from terrorism. Recognition is tied to real benchmarks — the release of hostages, governance reforms, credible elections in 2026 in which Hamas cannot participate, and strict demilitarization. These are not “empty gestures”; they are guardrails for peace.
Mr. Aitchison suggests this undermines Israel’s security. In fact, the opposite is true. A demilitarized, democratic Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only path to long-term security for both peoples. Endless stalemate and hopelessness only fuel the cycle of violence.
Here in Parry Sound–Muskoka, we expect our MP to rise above partisanship and reflect the values of Canadians who want peace with justice, not division. Our community knows that leadership sometimes requires courage to chart a difficult but necessary course. Prime Minister Carney’s decision does exactly that: it isolates extremists, gives moderates something to build toward, and keeps Canada firmly committed to peace, democracy, and human dignity.
Canadians deserve an honest conversation about the path forward in the Middle East — not sound bites that play politics with one of the world’s most complex conflicts.
In my humble opinion, Mr. Aitchison seems to have a one sided, and a totally biased personal opnion.
Here is, a bit of, what the internaationl humanitarion organizations and ICJ have said:
“Organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have conducted investigations and issued detailed reports accusing Israeli forces of committing war crimes in Gaza, including through indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the use of unlawful weapons. Amnesty International has also concluded that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Gaza.”
The ICC’s Prosecutor has applied for and received arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These charges include, among others, using starvation as a method of warfare, murder, and persecution.
It DOES NOT absolve Hamas from any war crimes, it has committed. Every criminal, regardless of color, culture, or creed, must be held accountable under the law.
Only a naive optimist can hope anything will successfully peacefully, sustainably resolve issues in Israel and Palestine- certainly not this war or what anyone in Canada says- even Pierre Poilievre, Mark Carney or Scott Aitchison. This hate-fuelled war ( and the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine)is damning to all humanity, if we accept any of this as self-defence. The human losses now are unforgettable. When the partition was imposed after WW2, I only imagine that other nations’ leaders hoped and believed a 2 nation state would peacefully happen with Jews finally having a place of their own: where they would not be persecuted as they have been through world history. Unfortunately not. As Mr Aitchison mentions anti-semitism continues even in Canada. Sadly, humans seem to prefer the drama and potential profitability of war over tending our own gardens. I wonder where Mr Aitchison and his Conservative Party friends suggest displaced Palestinians should now be settled? He is shadow Housing minister, maybe he has a solution. Hoping for the space aliens or the Rapture to end all of our stupid human games?
It appears to me that the Conservative Party’s stance (and those who claim it’s common sense ) on our government recognizing Palestine is based on a serious lack of knowledge and understanding of the roots, since ancient times, of the worlds most intractable dispute.
( is this an actual stance that Scott Aitchison is expressing or just a typical negative reaction to anything our elected government does without an attempt at alternative options for solutions)
The following is a brief history of this most intractable global dispute. It provides factual information and does not take a side, although I do support our government recognizing Palestine as a state and I long for a two state solution.
This is an excerpt from a Canadian and World Issues (Geography) textbook (Geonexus) used by many senior students in Ontario high schools, which was well researched, fact checked by Thomson Nelson publishers, most of which I wrote. Thisciscfrom a chapter on Geopolitics, Patterns ofcGlobal Power. Many maps included in the text help to clarify an incredibly complicated dispute.
The current conflict centre’s on the right to a state and to security for both Israel and Palestine. When Palestine came under British control in 1920, Jewish settlers began to move to Palestine and buy land, about 450 000 of them by 1940. After the horrors of the Holocaust , many more Jewish people moved to the region, demanding a Jewish state. The UN voted to partition land know as Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, which came into effect in 1948.
Drawing superimposed and arbitrary boundaries on a map created the state of Israel and guaranteed decades of conflict. More than 700 000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and lands. Many live in refugee camps decades later. Where are they to go? Many Palestinians do now live in other countries.
Surrounding Arab states rejected the new plan and invaded the new state of Israel, but were beaten off within a year. Israel illegally gained from Palestine and surrounding Arab nations what are called the Occupied Territories in wars of 1967 and 1973. (West Bank, east Jerusalem, Gaza, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights)
UN resolutions were passed calling for Israel to withdraw from all territory illegally gained in the wars. This has not happened.
In 1993, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed that Israel had a right to exist as a state and Israel recognized the PLO as official negotiating body for Palestinians. This was called the Oslo Peace Accord, and leaders on both sides won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.
This and other peace negotiations have failed to resolve the conflict, which continues to escalate, particularly as Jewish settlements continue to be built on disputed lands and as the horrendous terrorism of Hamas becomes a main barrier to peace.
Israelis claim they’re acting in self defense, Palestinians claim they are fighting against oppression and theft of their lands.
I would like people to know the dire complexities of issues before they form their opinions.
Mr. Aitchison, I have read your comments and can not help but feel great surprise and disappointment that you do not acknowledge the violation of international law, alleged genocide and war crimes in Gaza, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
I agree with you that ‘Canadians want peace in the Middle East’. But I certainly believe that these same Canadians not only want Hamas to release hostages and to pay for what they have done, but also for the suffering of thousands of innocent humans to end.
The most powerful country in the world is sitting back and do nothing to stop the massacre (no doubt benefiting financially), so what is Canada and the rest of the world to do? What do you suggest?
No matter one’s personal political views, political alliances, or opinions of the current leader of Canada, lets not forget the unimaginable treatment happening right now to so many innocent people.
I’ll take a chance here with a rare political comment.
This reminds me of the proverbial tale of the blind man and the elephant. No matter your disposition the elephant (Palestine) is in the room. It was there before Israel existed in one form or another and with a population of well over a million people it is hard to stand there with the blindfold on and say it (Palestine or the elephant) does not exist.
One might as well take the blindfold off, admit “something” (called Palestine) is there and look for a solution going forward from this vantage point.
It would help if religion was left out of all this and a bit of pragmatic logic was applied. Sadly I personally don’t think anything less than the total annihilation of Palestine will satisfy Israel’s current leaders but this is what we are supposed to be figuring out.
For the record, as far as I can tell from reading the news, Hamas exists elsewhere in the world and will continue to exist even if Israel succeeds in flattening Palestine and Trump builds some hotels on it.
History shows that persecution tends to lead to a stronger, longer lasting resistance.
157 of 193 countries support a Palestinian state.
What does that tell you Scott !!
“rewards those who continue to fuel conflict” … “must be democratic, demilitarized, and free from terrorism”.
Who we talking about here?
Several things can be true at the same time. As Canadians, we abhor war and wish for peace. We oppose the death of innocents, anywhere and at any time. We want the Palestinians to have a free and democratic state. We want the state of Israel to be able to live in peace without the daily fear of missiles from Yemen, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Syria or elswhere and without the threat of terrorism by residents, visitors, or neighbours. We don’t want any Canadians, be they Jewish or of any religion, race, political or sexual orientation to be subject to intimidation, exclusion, hate, or violence.
The question is, how do we achieve these things? I’m not sure that the unilateral decision taken by our Government (without discussion or debate in parliament) to recognize with unmet pre-conditions, an unelected, undemocratic, corrupt, and dysfunctional Palestinian entity is anything other than performance art. It is not going to help prevent more deaths and it is not going to bring us any closer to peace. Add to this that our Government is sending an announced $400 million in aid to this entity at a time when at home, many are struggling to make ends meet, and it just adds to certainly, my confusion.
I think that most Israelis and Gazans are tired of war and the devastation that this is causing to their loved ones. It is time for Hamas to release the remaining 48 mostly likely dead (now) hostages; lay down their arms, and for Israel to end the war. Please!
Finally someone common sense
Recognition of a Palestinian state is consistent with Canada’s values, supports its stated two-state solution policy, aligns with global consensus, strengthens moderate voices, and enhances Canada’s diplomatic credibility. I support it as do 150 or so other nations.
And that’s where I have a problem with Mr. Poilevre and Mr. Trump; both have criticisms but neither offer solutions.
That position has credibility. The official Canadian position supports a negotiated two-state solution. However, this goal loses credibility if only one side, namely Israel,
is recognized. Acknowledging Palestinianl statehood would strengthen the two-state framework by affirming that both peoples have equal rights to sovereignty, security, and dignity.
Scott, I’m normally not one to wade into these discussions but you’ve pulled me in by parroting your party’s stance on this issue.
When I read your initial party’s statement that anyone recognizing a Palestinian State meant they support terrorisn, rape and murder, I was shocked. If you truly believe that, stand in front of many of your constituents and tell them to their face. I would hazard a guess that the very, very large majority of those who support the Liberal decision are just looking for some way to stop the slaughter of innocents and destruction of an area.
Yes they voted in Hamas, and are now paying the price but what a price. I won’t pretend to know their election process and how rigged it likely was but that is the past. Hamas cannot be involved in politically running a Palestinian State, on that most everyone agrees.
To say this fuels anti- Semitic is more a result of the one sided carnage that has been occurring daily. It’s not the Isreali people that should be blamed, simply their political leadership.
You suggest negotiation as the answer but by Netanyahu’s own words, do you really think this will happen without the outside actions of the World body. Not a chance!
To defend the current course of action, thinking it will lead to a peaceful settlement is to take the easy road close our eyes and get on with our lives. Change needs to happen on this front and I’ll give support to the many democratic countries that are rallying to try and make that change.
Interesting take on PM Carney’s decision,Mr. Aitchison.
So what exactly are you doing about it?
Well said. Totally agree. I would ask the PM, with the current state of affairs, what does this recognition accomplish.
Finally someone with common sense. Thank you Mr. Aitchison.