When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Maple Ridge on Tuesday, to announce a $200 million investment in a local battery company, he spoke a lot about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Then at Tuesday night鈥檚 meeting, Maple Ridge City Council passed a motion calling on him to do more.
Mayor Dan Ruimy will write the PM asking that the federal government:
鈥� Recognize the humanitarian crisis unfolding as a result of the current conflict.
鈥� Call for an immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages.
鈥� Provide leadership in the flow humanitarian aid.
The motion also states that the mayor and council condemn all acts of anti鈥怱emitism, racism and Islamophobia in our country, which has risen this past month.
鈥淲e call on all levels of government to commit to ensuring our communities are just, safe and welcoming for all,鈥� it said.
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The call for a ceasefire was an issue Trudeau skated around on Tuesday.
The PM called for an end to the civilian casualties, standing in E-One Moli鈥檚 battery plant in Maple Ridge.
鈥淭he human tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza is heart wrenching,鈥� he said, adding the price of justice cannot be the suffering of all Palestinian civilians.
鈥淚 urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint, because the world is watching,鈥� said Trudeau.
鈥淔or weeks we鈥檝e been calling now for a sustained humanitarian pause, and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians,鈥� he continued.
鈥淗amas needs to stop using Palestinians as human shields. They need to release all hostages immediately and unconditionally.鈥�
He was asked by media why he will not go as far as to call for a ceasefire.
鈥淚 think we can all agree we want to see an end to the violence in the Middle East, there鈥檚 no debate around that,鈥� he said, adding the government is working to keep Canadians safe, and to try and contribute to an end to the violence.
He also called for an end anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Canada that has been stoked by the conflict in Gaza.
鈥淲hen a kid feels scared to go to school in the morning because of their religion, because of their ethnicity, that鈥檚 not just on the government, that鈥檚 on all of us, to say it stops now. My biggest concern, is how we bring Canadians together.鈥�
The local motion was brought to council by Coun. Ahmed Yousef, who said it speaks to humanity, peace, a ceasefire and the preservation of human life.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to raise my hands to supplicate and pray, for the wounded civilians, the unarmed, the elderly, the women, and the youth who see no future amid the rubble and death that we鈥檙e experiencing and seeing all over our screens,鈥� Yousef said at council.
He said a story of a woman losing one of her newborn twins hit home for him.
鈥淚t caused me to look into my twin daughters eyes, and it also caused me to weep, because I couldn鈥檛 imagine not having one of them there,鈥� said Yousef.
He and Coun. Jenny Tan were two of 52 councillors and mayors across B.C. that signed a letter calling for a ceasefire. Tan spoke about how powerless she is to impact the situation.
鈥淭he only thing I know, is that the killing of unarmed women and children is unacceptable, and there is very, very little I can do,鈥� said Tan. 鈥淭his is a motion in front of me, and this is one of the very few ways I can offer my support.鈥�
Yousef, who is of Egyptian heritage, said he and Mayor Dan Ruimy, who is Jewish, crafted the wording of the motion together.
Ruimy also spoke to need for the community to 鈥渟tand strong.鈥�
鈥淲e stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. It doesn鈥檛 matter where we come from, it doesn鈥檛 matter the colour of our skin, it doesn鈥檛 matter our religion,鈥� said Ruimy.
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