Latest news with #HeatherMcPherson
Toronto Sun
28-05-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
Canadian doctors who served in Gaza call for arms embargo, sanctions against Israel
Published May 28, 2025 • 2 minute read Displaced Palestinians ferry bags of food aid after storming a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on May 28, 2025. Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP via Getty Images OTTAWA — Canadian medical professionals who treated wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are urging Ottawa to stop all military trade with Israel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The doctors say Canada's current restrictions on arms exports to Israel aren't good enough and they allege that Canadian firms are still making military components being used in Gaza. NDP MP Heather McPherson, who pushed for the current restrictions that were introduced in early 2024, says Prime Minister Mark Carney has not significantly changed the government's approach to Israel. Carney did join his French and British counterparts in threatening 'targeted sanctions' against Israel last week. Israel has insisted for months that its military operations in Gaza are meant to stop the threat posed by Hamas, but it has faced a wave of international condemnation over the high civilian death count and its restrictions on aid, including food and medical supplies. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Orthopedic surgeon Deirdre Nunan says she saw many patients with ghastly injuries during her five visits to Gaza — including injuries consistent with drone strikes that were incurred during a ceasefire. 'As a surgeon, I cannot treat a genocide. As doctors, we cannot stop a famine. So we demand that the Canadian government take meaningful action,' the Saskatchewan doctor said during a news conference on Wednesday on Parliament Hill. Global Affairs Canada has been asked for a comment. The Bloc Quebecois on Wednesday repeated its call for sanctions on Israeli officials, saying it's the only measure that would get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respect international law. The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council is also calling on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to fix the flaws in a program meant to resettle up to 5,000 people fleeing Gaza with family ties to Canada. The group says that just 41 people have managed to leave the Gaza Strip through the program Ottawa launched in January 2024. It says that Palestinians who managed to escape Gaza on their own are languishing in places like Cairo. In January, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said 645 people had arrived in Canada through this program, including those who found their own way out of the territory. The department has been asked for more recent data. — With files from Emilie Bergeron Canada Music NHL Golf Tennis
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian doctors who served in Gaza call for arms embargo, sanctions against Israel
OTTAWA – Canadian medical professionals who treated wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are urging Ottawa to stop all military trade with Israel. The doctors say Canada's current restrictions on arms exports to Israel aren't good enough and they allege that Canadian firms are still making military components being used in Gaza. NDP MP Heather McPherson, who pushed for the current restrictions that were introduced in early 2024, says Prime Minister Mark Carney has not significantly changed the government's approach to Israel. Carney did join his French and British counterparts in threatening 'targeted sanctions' against Israel last week. Israel has insisted for months that its military operations in Gaza are meant to stop the threat posed by Hamas, but it has faced a wave of international condemnation over the high civilian death count and its restrictions on aid, including food and medical supplies. Orthopedic surgeon Deirdre Nunan says she saw many patients with ghastly injuries during her five visits to Gaza — including injuries consistent with drone strikes that were incurred during a ceasefire. 'As a surgeon, I cannot treat a genocide. As doctors, we cannot stop a famine. So we demand that the Canadian government take meaningful action,' the Saskatchewan doctor said during a news conference on Wednesday on Parliament Hill. Global Affairs Canada has been asked for a comment. The Bloc Québécois on Wednesday repeated its call for sanctions on Israeli officials, saying it's the only measure that would get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respect international law. The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council is also calling on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to fix the flaws in a program meant to resettle up to 5,000 people fleeing Gaza with family ties to Canada. The group says that just 41 people have managed to leave the Gaza Strip through the program Ottawa launched in January 2024. It says that Palestinians who managed to escape Gaza on their own are languishing in places like Cairo. In January, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said 645 people had arrived in Canada through this program, including those who found their own way out of the territory. The department has been asked for more recent data. — With files from Émilie Bergeron This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
McPherson doesn't rule out run for NDP leadership
NDP MP Heather McPherson tells Power & Politics she's 'been asked by a number of people' if she'll run for the party leadership but she hasn't decided yet.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
The federal NDP had its worst election ever. Now what?
British Columbia New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan says she's been here before. In 2001, Kwan was a member of the B.C. legislature when the Liberals decimated the provincial NDP government, winning 77 of 79 seats. Kwan was one of only two New Democrats who kept their seats. "I'm not a stranger to this environment," Kwan said from her office in Vancouver. "We came back stronger." In the federal NDP's worst performance ever, the party went into the campaign with 24 MPs and limped away from Monday's election with just seven. Kwan is one of the survivors. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done. There's no question about it," she said. The NDP lost its recognized party status, which requires a minimum of 12 members in Parliament. That will fundamentally alter the NDP's capacity in Ottawa. In the House of Commons, recognized status is what guarantees a political party the opportunity to ask questions of the government in every question period. It also ensures MPs can sit on committees, where parties scrutinize and amend potential legislation. The New Democrats will also miss out on money from the House of Commons to pay for research and extra staff. The NDP will likely have to rely on funding allotted to individual MP offices or its own party dollars. Some current employees may be laid off. The New Democrats have only lost party status once before, in 1993. At the time, the nine MPs asked the House of Commons to still consider them an official party, but were denied. Since then, some provincial governments have honoured similar requests. NDP could hold balance of power Despite these major losses, the seven remaining New Democrats may hold a position of power over the Liberal minority government. The Liberals won 168 seats on Monday, just four shy of a majority. It means Prime Minister Mark Carney could seek the NDP's support to pass legislation. "We do have the balance of power. We do have the ability to make sure the government is doing things for Canadians," Edmonton NDP MP Heather McPherson told CBC's Power & Politics. McPherson said the remaining MPs met on Thursday to determine next steps. WATCH | Edmonton MP says NDP can rebuild: NDP will come back 'stronger' says 1 of just 7 re-elected MPs | Power & Politics 1 day ago Duration 8:30 NDP MP-elect Heather McPherson tells Power & Politics she and her six caucus colleagues will hold the Liberal government to account and prove to Canadians that New Democrats are 'still the party for the working class.' NDP spokesperson Anne McGrath says the party has a lot to sort out before its caucus returns to Parliament. "It's definitely a devastating loss," she said. The timeline for when the party will choose a new leader is still up in the air. Jagmeet Singh has said he would stay on until an interim leader is chosen. "We'll want to move very quickly on that. The interim leader will be a decision of caucus," she said. A process to select a new permanent leader will be announced at a later date, McGrath said. So far, no one has put their hand up for either the temporary or permanent top job. When asked by CBC News, both McPherson and Kwan didn't rule out a potential run. The new leader could come from outside the House of Commons, McGrath pointed out. Singh, Jack Layton and Tommy Douglas were not sitting MPs when they won party leadership. Building off provincial strength The contest for who leads the NDP next could breathe new life into the party, according to Brad Lavigne, the NDP's campaign director when the party became the Official Opposition under Layton's leadership. "We have to obviously renew the ranks of the party, fundraise and use the opportunity of the leadership race as a rebuilding opportunity," Lavigne said. Lavigne said New Democrats have had "tremendous" success at the provincial level, forming government in B.C. and Manitoba and as Official Opposition in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia. NDPers have also won important jobs in municipal politics — notably Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. "The New Democratic Party is strong throughout the country," he said. "That serves as a tremendous base from which to launch the renewal of the federal party." The future of the NDP hinges on who becomes the next leader, Lavigne said. "That is going to be a battle for the soul of the party," he said. "It is time that we get serious again — that it is the role of the New Democratic Party of Canada not to merely make good points, but to actually build a resilient political movement in this country that will rival the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party with the ultimate goal to govern."
CTV News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Lone Alberta NDP MP says party will have challenges during rebuild, upcoming term
NDP MP for Edmonton Strathcona, Heather McPherson, discusses re-election and the future of the federal NDP with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins.
