Canada has been excluded from signing a joint statement issued by other G7 leaders condemning the recent Hamas attacks on Israel.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed their “steadfast and united support to the State of Israel” and their “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.”

These five countries have dubbed themselves “the Quint.” The two other G7 nations, Canada and Japan, did not sign the statement.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary told Arab News they opted out of signing the statement because of their “desire to maintain flexibility” and commitment to “de-escalation.”

Canada has not provided any answers as to why it didn’t partner with the leaders of the US, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.

The Quint’s statement recognizes the aspirations of the Palestinian people but asserts that “Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly have both condemned Hamas’s invasion of Israel.

“Canada unequivocally condemns these terrible attacks in the strongest possible terms and reaffirms its support for Israel’s right to defend itself, in accordance with international law,” stated Trudeau in response to Hamas’s surprise invasion, which resulted in breaches of the blockade between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

The death toll, which has reached at least 900 Israelis and nearly 700 Palestinians, includes at least one Canadian.

Canada’s absence from the joint statement drew criticism from James Moore, a former secretary of state for foreign affairs under PM Stephen Harper. Moore posted on X that Canada has been “sidelined.” 

Meanwhile, state broadcaster CBC was outed for instructing journalists not to call Hamas a terrorist organization, despite the fact that Canada officially recognizes Hamas as just that. 

Canadian-Palestinians celebrate the attacks

Over the weekend, large groups of Palestine supporters in Canada paraded around in Mississauga and Montreal over the weekend, waving flags and honking horns in celebration of the invasion and blatant violation of the rule of law.