Canada is prepared to recognise Palestine at right time: Trudeau

Days after three European nations — Norway, Ireland and Spain — announced their intention to recognise Palestine as a state, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is “prepared to recognise the state at the right time”.

“We are prepared to recognize the state of Palestine at the right time not necessarily as a last step along the path,” he said while on the floor of the House on Thursday.

His statement came in response to a challenge from New Democratic Party (NDP) MP and foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson in the House of Commons, as she urged him to “take a stand” on the matter.

“We were pleased to be able to support the NDP motion several months ago we will continue to work forward on promoting peace and working towards stability in the Middle East.”

Before making the statement, Trudeau stressed the need of building path towards lasting peace.

“We oppose efforts by the Netanyahu government to reject a two-state solution. At the same time, Hamas, a terrorist group, currently controls areas in Gaza and has not laid down its arms or released its hostages,” Trudeau said.

Similarly, this decision was backed by the Green Party of Canada, stating that “Canada has a moral and strategic imperative to recognize Palestine as a state.”