OTTAWA — Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre advised caucus members on Sunday he plans to slash funding to a United Nations company that helps Palestinians amid allegations a few of its employees performed a job in final October’s terrorist assaults in opposition to Israel.
Poilievre mentioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to be “ashamed” for funding the the United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestine Refugees within the Close to East , pledging in a speech to caucus members that he would “in the reduction of.”
Poilievre accused Trudeau of sending cash to “overseas terrorists and dictators, calling it help.”
“He gave cash to UNRWA,” Poilievre mentioned to repeated calls of “disgrace” from Conservative members of Parliament who gathered in Ottawa for a planning huddle earlier than the Home of Commons resumes on Monday.
The federal authorities says it stopped the movement of “any further funding” for UNRWA following experiences that some employees had been concerned within the Oct. 7 assaults by Hamas in opposition to southern Israel.
The company’s director says it has terminated employees thought to have been concerned and has launched an investigation.
Worldwide Improvement Minister Ahmed Hussen mentioned in a press release late Friday that Canada “is taking these experiences extraordinarily critically” and would work to get help into the besieged Gaza Strip by different businesses till Unrwa’s personal investigation is full.
Hamas killed greater than 1,200 folks and took about 240 others hostage through the assault, triggering a conflict that native authorities say has killed greater than 25,000 Palestinians, together with 1000’s of youngsters.
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper had minimize funding to Unrwa in 2010 after allegations of its ties to Hamas, which has been listed as a delegated terrorist entity in Canada for many years. The Liberals restored it in 2016.
Poilievre pointed to that in his speech Sunday.
“We warned what would occur should you gave cash to UNRWA. We minimize the funds,” he mentioned.
Heather McPherson, the NDP’s overseas affairs critic, mentioned Canada is mistaken to halt funding to UNRWA.
“Investigations should proceed, however this punishes the ravenous folks of Gaza who want a ceasefire and for whom UNRWA is considered one of their solely sources of assist,” she mentioned in a press release posted on X, the platform beforehand often known as Twitter. “Over 100 UNRWA employees have been killed on this horrifying conflict. UNRWA’s employees of 30,000 gives important companies to Palestinians.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 28, 2024.
— With recordsdata from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa.
Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press
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Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre says he plans to slash funding to a United Nations company that helps Palestinians amid allegations some its employees performed a job in final October’s terrorist assaults. Poilievre arrives to deal with the nationwide Conservative caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
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