Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 24th, 2024

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Could we go as far as imposing sanctions?

[Alexandre Lévêque]

All the items in our tool box are always considered, and in every situation, we need to look at a variety of tools. Obviously, an analysis would have to be completed before the situation could be deemed a violation of international law.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

What is the status of the analysis by the department's legal unit?

[Alexandre Lévêque]

These are events that happened just a few days ago. The situation is being analyzed. This kind of analysis should never be undertaken lightly, in a few days. A serious analysis takes a lot more time.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

I imagine that you'll keep the committee apprised of any developments related to the analysis—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

I'm afraid, Mr. Bergeron, that you're out of time.

We next go to Ms. McPherson.

You have a minute and a half.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, again, to the officials for being here today.

I'd like to follow up on the question Mr. Bergeron just asked. Is the Government of Canada considering sanctioning Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for their crimes and the genocidal language they've been using?

[Alexandre Lévêque]

Again, I can only say that all tools available to the government are always under consideration.

What the question asks is whether there are things we're considering as part of the advice we would provide to the government. I can't pronounce on whether this is an active consideration or it's about to happen or not. Nothing is ever off the table. We always consider how to best answer any situation.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Obviously, we've listed Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, as they should be. I think there have also been sanctions applied to Hamas, which seem unnecessary, considering it is a listed terrorist entity. Perhaps that's more of a PR position that the minister has taken. That was able to be done quite quickly.

We know that other countries have been able to take some of these steps. They're countries that are democracies and are, in fact, Canada's allies. Why is it taking so long to make some of these assessments and determine that some of those listed should be sanctioned?

[Alexandre Lévêque]

As a point of clarification, since you mentioned the fact that members of Hamas have been sanctioned in addition to Hamas as an organization, yes, Hamas, as an organization, has been sanctioned. It doesn't mean that every person who's a member of Hamas has a membership card they carry around. In order to trigger—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

If they are a member of Hamas, they are not sanctioned because it is a listed terrorist entity.

[Alexandre Lévêque]

Of course they are. What I'm saying is that sometimes, to double down and make sure that the system can catch and trigger—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

We're extra sanctioning them.

[Alexandre Lévêque]

If you want to be able to trigger our immigration systems, for example, it's easier to do it with a name and a date of birth than it is with an affiliation that may or may not appear on somebody's passport.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

That's all I have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Next, we go to Mr. Chong for three minutes.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to go back to the last question I asked. There have been about 1,200 voluntary departures—that's your term—of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from Lebanon. It's a voluntary coordination process right now.

In the event that the situation deteriorates and we're in a 2006-type emergency, I'd like you to tell the committee a bit more about what I understand to be a much broader plan coordinated among Canada's closest allies to evacuate citizens from Lebanon.

[Sébastien Beaulieu]

Thank you for the question.

My colleague alluded to what we refer to as a NEO, or a non-combatant evacuation operation, as one of the elements we are looking at, and that is part of our prudent planning. We have been exercising and doing that planning for the past decades since 2006. Many things have gone into the planning.

What's important at this stage is that there are commercial options available, and we urge Canadians to depart.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

On this plan you're talking about, what other countries are involved in the planning?

[Sébastien Beaulieu]

There are at least 20 countries that have their own plans and come together in an annual exercise in Cyprus each year to test and validate plans, and Canada is part of that group.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

What is the trigger for the plan?

[Sébastien Beaulieu]

Each country has its own triggers, but in comparison—there was a question earlier today comparing the situation with 2006—one important distinction from 2006 is that, then, the airport was not operable. Today, what we see are regular flights, with more than 50 flights a day.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I assume this emergency plan you're referring to has contingencies for an event in which the airport is not available.

[Sébastien Beaulieu]

Indeed.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.