Rather than expressing seemingly unqualified “support” for the United States (and, one assumes, Israel), this could be a powerful moment to demonstrate that the Prime Minister’s belief in the role that middle powers need to play in this time of global “rupture” (his word) is not empty rhetoric.  A moment to convene a genuine global effort to support Iranian human rights defenders and civil society, impose tighter sanctions against a corrupt and illegal regime, and pursue a meaningful justice and accountability agenda against those responsible for years of human rights crimes.

We can be fierce champions of democracy and human rights in Iran while, at the same time, firmly rejecting unilateral and unlawful military action by one state against another. Both are, after all, grounded in the same values and the same vision for humanity. Both take us in the same direction. 

Mark Carney should not have given a second thought to joining this perverse Board of Peace. Now that Donald Trump has petulantly told him he is not welcome, he should stay far away. He should instead work with other countries who see Trump’s power grab for what it is, as well as the middle-power countries the prime minister called out to in his Davos speech, to shore up what a truly multilateral approach to securing peace in Gaza and all corners of our world looks like and what it necessitates.

Carney has insisted that Canada must apply consistent standards and lead with its values. This is a true test of that claim.

If this country is serious that our way forward must and will be "principled and pragmatic" then the path we must walk is clear: close the U.S. arms export loophole. Subject all Canadian weapons exports to the same scrutiny. And stop pretending that selectivity is a form of principled foreign policy.

This is where the rubber hits the road. Will Prime Minister Carney contend with the world as it is, with principles at the fore? Or will he continue to capitulate to hegemons and arm their atrocities?

Just where are we headed with our pragmatism? We need confident reassurance that principles are indeed the lifeblood of the new order and the pragmatism is all about how to get there.

Reach out, not with raised elbows but with extended hands. And imagine your hands and so many others, linked across your community and globally, as an unshakeable foundation on which we truly, at long last, build and deliver the universal human rights promise.

If we believe, if we join together, we can get there. But only if we act. Change begins, always, with one person.

Will the exhibit be criticized by some? Certainly. But equally, will it be welcomed by many? Without a doubt, and they will say: at long last. For it will open space for a vital human rights conversation that we consistently silence and step away from: how can we better acknowledge, understand and support the human rights struggle of the Palestinian people.

People want and need to be having these conversations right now, conversations about the state of human rights in our world.

While there has of course been notable human rights progress around the world over the past 80 years, the chasm between the universal promise and lived reality remains a colossal one.

That is at the base of the strife and discord, the hardship and deprivation that is tearing at our bonds of common humanity and imperiling the very survival of the planet.  We cannot continue to pretend otherwise.

Silence is not an option. Inaction is not an option. We all have a role to play in creating a more just world. That it starts in our daily lives, in our homes and neighbourhoods.

Above all else, we must all believe in and champion human rights. Human rights breakthroughs have always come from the people, and it begins with one person. If the lifeboat is seaworthy and accessible to all, and ready to navigate through stormy waters, change, even enormous change, is possible.

That is – universally – up to us.

This is not a moment for us to sit back with false pride that Canada has now done the right thing for Palestinians. In fact all we have done is take a first step (or more to the point, signaled that we intend to take that first step in six weeks or so) that we should have taken decades ago.

We need action. For Canada that starts with a full arms embargo, cancelling our free trade deal with Israel, imposing biting sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli political and military leaders, and actively pursuing criminal prosecutions for those who have blatantly orchestrated this campaign of death.

At a time when civilian protection is desperately under threat, not only in Gaza, but in Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and many other corners of the world, Canada cannot afford to be equivocal and selective about something as essential as international accountability and justice.

We write because of the catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, now into its twentieth month, which is broadly understood by international law experts and leading human rights organizations as constituting genocide.

Waiting, vacillating, remaining silent and failing or, worse, refusing to act in the face of mounting and incontrovertible evidence of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity can no longer be options for Canada. But it is not enough to simply speak out. Canada must do everything in its power to stop these atrocities and support efforts to bring those responsible to account.

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers Virani, Joly, Ng, Bibeau, Leblanc and Miller,

We write in follow up to our two earlier letters and accompanying legal brief dealing with Canada’s policy and position with respect to Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory, the urgency and relevance of which has grown exponentially following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in the Legal Consequences of Israeli Practices case. 

On behalf of more than 70 legal experts across Canada we initially wrote to Minister Virani on April 12th.  Our letter, and accompanying legal brief, provided a comprehensive analysis of the indisputable legal conclusion that Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory constitute war crimes under Canadian and international law.  We specified that Canada has ensuing legal obligations that flow from that reality, and provided seven recommendations for action by your government, to ensure compliance with those obligations.

I’m not saying abolish the monarchy or disown the King.  I’m just disappointed at our choice of who, as representative of the Crown, we are asking to give expression to and of our sovereignty at this critical juncture.

This incident is another stark reminder that fundamental freedoms, such as free expression, are susceptible to attack in Canada as much as anywhere else. In an increasingly polarised society, the health of our democracy is at stake if we are unable to have open discourse based in fact, law, and a respectful exchange of ideas. Civil liberties exist to protect our right to critique government policies, including the policies of foreign governments, especially when precious life is on the line.

Of all the professions, lawyers should be the most ardent protectors of these rights. It’s a shame to see some Canadian lawyers actively eroding these values.

Fly the flag, yes. But we must do the work that shows we get it, and we mean it. Conviction, solidarity and a better world. That flag has never mattered more.

Every Canadian political leader - whether they lead or aspire to lead a party - must unequivocally condemn and reject every single word Donald Trump uttered about Gaza today. They must commit to immediately recognize full, independent Palestinian statehood, before the homeland of a people who have been pummeled by genocide gets carved up for beachfront condos and a Trump Hotel.

Justin Trudeau, Melanie Joly, tariffs or no tariffs, take a stand, the right stand, and do it now. There are times when what matters most is conviction and showing up for humanity.

This is one of those times.

FJ’s death must be independently investigated. Canadians must be brought home from NE Syria. Any allegations of terrorism or other criminality should be dealt with in our legal system.

Human rights do not matter only when it is convenient or when we feel sympathetic. They matter always and they matter for us all.