Jenica Atwin planned to vote for NDP motion recognizing Palestinian statehood

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OTTAWA • Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin was prepared to vote in favour of a motion by the federal New Democrats that called on Canada to recognize the “State of Palestine,” even if it stood against her own government’s foreign policy.

But an 11th-hour amendment by the Liberals, agreed to by the NDP, stripped the commitment to recognize a Palestinian state from the controversial motion before a vote.

The House of Commons then passed the softened motion late Monday night.

That said, Atwin didn’t end up voting.

The vote on the NDP’s non-binding motion passed with nearly every Liberal on board, 204-118.

New Brunswick MPs were split along party lines, five Liberals voting in favour and four Conservatives against, with Atwin abstaining.

Only Liberal MPs Andrew Housefather, Ben Carr, Marco Mendicino, and Independent Kevin Vuong voted with the Conservative caucus against the NDP motion.

The original amendment, debated for most of the day on Monday, was to call on the House of Commons to take nine measures the NDP claimed would de-escalate the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

It called for more humanitarian aid to Gaza and for an immediate ceasefire.

But its most notable measure called for Canada to “officially recognize the State of Palestine.”

It appeared to divide the Liberal caucus.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly hinted during debate that the Liberal cabinet might not support a motion recognizing Palestinian statehood, adding that Canada cannot change its foreign policy based on a non-binding motion presented by an opposition party.

Atwin’s office told Brunswick News that the Fredericton MP was prepared to vote against her own government’s position.

“Jenica is voting in favour because she supports all the calls outlined in the motion, and because she has received an outpouring of requests from her constituents in support of the motion,” spokesperson Katie McAllister said.

“Her first responsibility and highest priority is to represent the will of the people she represents, not the official government position.”

But the last-minute deal between the NDP and Liberals removed the section on recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Instead, the new amendment says Canada will work with international partners “towards the establishment of a state of Palestine as part of a negotiated two state solution.”

The amendment introduces several new paragraphs, including adding in that “Hamas is a list terrorist organization in Canada” and later that “all states, including Israel, have a right to defend themselves” but also that “Israel must respect international humanitarian law, and the price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”

In another section, the language of the amended motion demands “an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and that Hamas must lay down its arms.”

That’s after the initial motion simply called for “an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”

Another contentious paragraph changed a call to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas” to the ceasing of “further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime, and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.”

Atwin’s office said on Tuesday that she “was thrilled that this motion passed with the support of the government.

“She supported the motion from day one and worked behind the scenes to help build support among MPs,” McAllister said, adding that Atwin was on a plane home to New Brunswick when the vote happened late Monday night.

“She had a commitment (Tuesday) morning to meet with First Nations chiefs, and the unforeseen delays to the votes made it so they conflicted with the last available flight, leaving her no other option,” McAllister said.

Atwin’s position on Palestine has arguably shaped her political career.

In June 2021, Atwin quit the federal Greens after criticizing then party leader Annamie Paul’s call for de-escalation of hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians.

At the time, Atwin wrote on social media there are “no two sides to this conflict, only human rights abuses” by Israel, which she accused of having an “apartheid” policy.

But after sitting as an independent for a short period, Atwin defected to the Liberals and took a middleground stance.

“Palestinians are suffering. Israelis are also suffering as well as their loved ones in Canada and around the world,” she posted on social media just after joining the Liberals. “No one wins with war. I regret if my choice of words caused harm to those who are suffering.”

More recently, Atwin grabbed national headlines after her office responded to the written criticism of a member of a Fredericton synagogue that had been vandalized with a long letter about “the atrocities in Palestine” and how dedicated she was to helping Gaza.

-With files from Postmedia