Prime Minister Mark Carney’s oft-repeated claim that Israel has the right to defend itself—even as it attacks other nations—has become something of a pathetic joke.

Over the past two years, Israel has launched strikes against Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran, yet it has not faced condemnation from Canada, neither under Justin Trudeau nor, since the general election in April of this year, under Mark Carney. In the final days of his leadership, under the looming shadow of Israeli genocide, Prime Minister Trudeau proudly declared, “I am a Zionist.”

Carney’s electoral success was largely built on his defiant stance against US threats to Canadian sovereignty, but his rejection of American expansionism has not extended to Israel’s own territorial ambitions in the Middle East. Belligerent Israel continues its attacks on neighbouring nations, its illegal settlements in the West Bank, and its genocidal campaign in Gaza, with both material and rhetorical support from its ally, Canada. Carney’s recent strings-attached promise to recognize a Palestinian state will do little to help starving Gazans in the critical, immediate future.

Manitobans hoping that a progressive NDP provincial government would show greater sympathy for Palestinians than the federal Liberals should prepare to be disappointed. Supporters of Palestinian human rights often quote Nelson Mandela: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” For many, support for Palestine is a litmus test distinguishing genuine progressives from mere performative allies.

The term PEP (Progressive Except Palestine) is commonly used among activists to describe those who advocate progressive causes—except when it comes to Palestine. The implication is clear: a PEP is not truly progressive. And while the Manitoba New Democratic Party likes to brand itself as the province’s progressive option, its record on Palestine suggests otherwise.

In an attempt to strike a “balanced” both-sides position on the conflict, Premier Wab Kinew issued a muddled statement in March 2024 urging a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war. He condemned the violence caused by Hamas, endorsed its destruction, and voiced his support for Israel. While the premier expressed concern for Palestinians and the looming threat of famine in Gaza, he failed to mention the occupation or offer any meaningful context for Palestinian resistance. “Israel is an ally, this is a fact,” he stated. He reiterated that Hamas must be eliminated, while affirming that people in Gaza have a right to live, and a right to food and water.

In October 2024, on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack, Kinew gave a speech at the Walk for Israel at the Asper Jewish Community Campus in Winnipeg. He reaffirmed Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself, and lamented the “brutal attack on innocent civilians in Israel.” Notably absent were any calls for a ceasefire, any mention of the man-made famine in Gaza, or any acknowledgement of the ongoing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, before and after October 7, 2023. At the time of Kinew’s speech, the death toll in Gaza had already surpassed 40,000. Despite weekly rallies and demonstrations across Winnipeg calling for an end to the genocide, Premier Kinew has attended none of them.

Manitoba’s support for Israel extends beyond rhetoric. In January 2025, the provincial government announced a $17 million investment in the aerospace sector: an $8 million grant and a $9 million loan to Magellan Aerospace. “We’re growing the economy and securing the future of Manitoba as an aerospace hub,” Premier Kinew said. The wealthy corporation, which posted gross profits of $107.9 million in 2024, manufactures components for F-35 jets—the same fighter planes used to bomb Gaza, destroying homes and dismembering children. Manitoba taxpayers are now subsidizing a weapons manufacturer.

The NDP is also working to suppress criticism of Israeli war crimes. In May 2025, the Government of Manitoba announced a partnership with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) to “provide specialized training to Crown attorneys on prosecuting hate crimes.” Canada has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, a vague and expansive definition that includes “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as an example of antisemitic speech.

Activists who draw parallels between Israel’s proposal to concentrate Gazans in a so-called “humanitarian city” (a chilling example of doublespeak) and Nazi concentration camps during World War II could now be considered guilty of hate speech under the IHRA definition. With CIJA—a Zionist organization—training Manitoba prosecutors, there is a real risk that criticism of Israeli and Canadian policies could be criminalized.

This is not far-fetched. In the United Kingdom, the activist group Palestine Action has been designated a terrorist organization. After the ban, several members were arrested and charged under the UK Terrorism Act. Their crime? Spraying two military aircraft with red paint—a non-violent act of protest. Four activists now face prison time. In the United States, Palestinian activist Mahmood Khalil was detained and threatened with deportation for his pro-Palestinian advocacy.

Premier Kinew remains immensely popular among Manitobans, and it’s unclear whether his support for Israel will dent his broad approval. Still, he has been navigating the annihilation of Gaza with an eye on the next Manitoba general election. For decades, Manitobans have been offered a binary choice: NDP or Conservative. The Liberal Party has mostly been irrelevant. Palestine is a significant issue for many progressive Manitobans, and Kinew knows that left-wing, pro-Palestinian voters have little choice but to vote orange—because as inadequate as the NDP’s stance on Palestine may be, the Conservatives will always be far worse.

Kinew’s base is secure, so he’s courting centre-right voters. He has played it safe, welcoming a few Palestinian families who arrived in Manitoba for medical treatment, but never once condemning the Israeli state that injured them and drove them to flee.

As the Palestinian death toll surpasses 60,000 human beings, Manitobans deserve to know which side their leaders are on: the side of the oppressor, or the oppressed. For those paying attention, anything short of the premier’s clear and unequivocal condemnation of the genocide unfolding in Gaza is cynical, calculated pandering.

Jean-Luc Beaudry is a union and human rights activist living and working in Treaty 1 territory.