14.23°C Vancouver

Mar 11, 2024 5:31 PM -

After criticism, Ottawa pledges $1 million to support Hamas sexual-violence victims

Share On
after-criticism-ottawa-pledges-1-million-to-support-hamas-sexual-violence-victims
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is pledging $1 million to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas in Israel during last October's attacks .(The Canadian Press)

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is pledging $1 million to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas in Israel during last October's attacks.

The funding comes with an offer of RCMP support for investigations three months after a group of women who hold political office in Canada called on Ottawa to provide this type of support.

Last week, a UN envoy said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Hamas committed rape and "sexualized torture" during the attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Israeli women's organizations have criticized their global peers for being slow to acknowledge sexual violence by Hamas, and Canada's envoy for combating antisemitism chalked that delay up to anti-Jewish attitudes.

However, Israeli police say forensic evidence was not preserved in the chaos of the attack, and Hamas killed many of the people who were believed to be victims of sexual assault.

Joly is in Israel as part of a tour of the Middle East to advocate for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Latest news

AlbertaSep 22, 2026

Alberta Government Suspends Fuel Tax Until Year-End

The Alberta government is suspending the province’s fuel tax for the rest of the year. Premier Danielle Smith made the announcement Tuesday while addressing business leaders in Calgary. Smith said the average price of Western Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was $90.54 per barrel last month, triggering a full suspension of the 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax for the quarter beginning October 1. The province had previously suspended its fuel relief program during the last quarter. However, Smith said Albertans had told the government they would prefer to receive the savings directly at th
b-c-premier-david-eby-calls-early-provincial-election
BCSep 22, 2026

B.C. Premier David Eby Calls Early Provincial Election

B.C. Premier David Eby has formally called a provincial election after meeting with Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia and requesting the dissolution of the legislature. The election is being held two years ahead of schedule. The next provincial election had originally been set for October 21, 2028. The announcement also cancels the Abbotsford-Mission byelection scheduled for September 26, as the riding will now be contested as part of the provincewide general election. The seat had been vacated by B.C. Conservative MLA Rian Gaspar to allow former party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to run in the
BCSep 22, 2026

B.C. MLA Brent Chapman Leaves Conservatives, Joins OneBC Party

Party-switching intensifies in B.C. as Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman leaves the B.C. Conservatives and joins the OneBC Party. Chapman, who is the husband of former B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, had been facing continued pressure within the party over controversial social media comments from his past. In a statement, Chapman said he had been a loyal party member for the past 15 years, but recent internal divisions, publicly exposed disagreements and what he described as a decline in the party’s principles had made it difficult for him to remain with the B.C. Conservatives. On
b-c-premier-david-eby-meets-lieutenant-governor-wendy-cocchia
BCSep 22, 2026

B.C. Premier David Eby Meets Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia

B.C. Premier David Eby has met with Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia. Eby is scheduled to hold a press conference at 12:15 p.m. at Government House in Victoria, where he is expected to formally announce a provincial election. The election is being called with about two years remaining in the current term of the B.C. NDP government. Eby had indicated that he was considering an early election amid recent turmoil within the opposition Conservative Party, a change in leadership and the NDP government's narrow one-seat majority in the legislature. According to Elections B.C.'s anticipated electio
CanadaSep 22, 2026

Canada’s NDP Opposes Federal Plan to Allow Private Investment in Major Airports

Canada’s federal NDP is opposing the federal government’s plan to allow private investment in the country’s airports. NDP Leader Avi Lewis has described the Carney government’s proposal as privatization, arguing that calling it anything else is misleading to the public. Speaking outside the House of Commons alongside party members and labour union leaders, Lewis warned that handing over the operations of Canada’s four largest airports in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver to private investors could lead to higher passenger fees. Lewis said the plan amounts to privatization beca

Related News