Over 50 local officials in B.C. call for a ceasefire in Gaza

Over 50 members of local governments in British Columbia have signed an open letter calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. File photo of a protest in Nanaimo on Nov. 4, 2023 by Mick Sweetman / CHLY 101.7FM.

Israeli prime minister attacks Justin Trudeau on social media after comments about women, children and babies being killed in Gaza

Over 50 members of local governments in British Columbia, including several from Central Vancouver Island, have signed an open letter calling on the Canadian government to call for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The letter is also calling on the federal government to support unrestricted access to humanitarian aid and a release of all hostages.

Nanaimo city councillor Hiliary Eastmure was one of the signatories.

“I, like so many other people, was just horrified witnessing the levels of violence that we're seeing in the unprecedented scale of this humanitarian crisis,” she said. “I think that people in positions of leadership and privilege have a responsibility to speak out when they witness this kind of injustice and everyone should be using whatever platform they have.”

Eastmure says that she’s able to use her platform as a local elected official to amplify the call for a ceasefire.

“I'm just doing my part and standing up for what I believe in and calling this out as being so wrong,” she said.

Nanaimo city councillors Paul Manly, Ben Geselbracht and Tyler Brown also signed the letter, as did Nanaimo Regional District director Jessica Stanley.

Dr. Jonathan Keer is both a family doctor and a councillor for the Town of Comox.

“I dedicate my life to saving lives and the health and well-being of others,” he said. “So seeing hospitals under siege and seeing babies not having electricity for the incubators to survive. It's really just heartbreaking.”

Comox councillors Jenn Meilleur and Nicole Minions also signed the letter.

Of the 54 names on the letter the only mayor was Mike Hurley of the City of Burnaby, who signed the letter with every member of council.

The City of Burnaby passed a motion at their council meeting last week to call on the prime minister to call for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and for access to humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Eastmure has also participated in local protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“I’ve been attending a couple of the local rallies and talking to people who have family members, both in Palestine and in Israel, who are just horrified by the violence and people who are calling for peace seeing the human rights abuses that are happening,” she said. “For me, it's powerful to see the community speaking out and showing up and rallying and calling for a ceasefire. And people have been asking, ‘What am I prepared to do?’”

Speaking at a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid homage to Vivian Silver, an Israeli-Canadian peace activist who was killed in Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and whose remains were identified yesterday.

Last month, I had the chance to meet with one of her sons, and I learned of her warmth, or compassion, and her lifelong commitment to building bridges between Israelis and Palestinians. Vivian dedicated her life to peace, and the bright light was extinguished. On October 7.”

Trudeau said that Israel must follow the rules of war in its fight against Hamas in Gaza and specifically mentioned the fighting around the Al Shifa Hospital.

“I have been clear that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” he said. “Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth, Israeli and Palestinian. I urge the Government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint.”

Trudeau told reporters that “The world is witnessing this. The killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Trudeau’s comments on social media.

“It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,” he wrote. “While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way.”

Speaking at the same press conference, Premier David Eby was asked if the province would join the municipal officials’ in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Obviously, the province of B.C. is not in a position to deliver peace in the Middle East. This is a long-standing conflict,” he said. “But we can absolutely stand for peace and call for peace, and for an end to this horrific run of death in this part of the world.”

Eby says his focus is on combating hate in British Columbia and that the province is working to deliver increased resources for communities that are being targeted.

“What we're seeing here is an increase in hate, an increase in division,” he said. “People from the Muslim community reporting Islamophobic attacks. People from the Jewish community reporting swastikas painted on the side of synagogues, antisemitic attacks.”

On Monday, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre repeated his support for Canada’s Jewish community in the wake of a wave of antisemitic attacks, including shootings of Jewish day schools and firebombing of synagogues in Montreal.

“Conservatives stand in full solidarity with the Jewish community as it faces these attacks,” he told reporters in Vancouver. “We call on all levels of government to team up and protect the community against this terrorism and this hatred, and we pledge our full cooperation to help keep the Jewish community and all communities safe.”

Eastmure agrees that hate in Canada is on the rise and needs to be addressed.

“We are absolutely seeing a rise in antisemitic hate crimes and in anti-Palestinian racism. And we, as elected leaders, will not stand for any type of hatred,” she said.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.