Liberal MP challenges PM’s stance on strikes on Iran as feds sidestep legality issue

OTTAWA — A Liberal member of Parliament has challenged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s endorsement of American and Israeli military strikes on Iran, as the government sidestepped questions about whether the campaign violates international law.

Victoria MP Will Greaves expressed concerns about Canada’s stance in a social media post on Saturday, which has since garnered likes from a handful of fellow Liberals, including a former cabinet minister.

“Canada cannot endorse the unilateral and illegal use of military force, the killing of civilians, or the kidnap and assassination of foreign heads of government, while also insisting that our sovereignty, our rights, and our independence must be respected,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.

“All states have an obligation to protect civilian life, and no state has the right to wage aggressive war.”

Carney was in India for a four-day diplomatic and trade trip when the United States and Israel began the attack Saturday. During an event in Mumbai, Carney said Canada supported the United States action, but that it would not get involved.

He cancelled a planned press conference on Monday, insisting his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone overtime.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand — who was with Carney in India — answered questions from reporters instead, reiterating Canada’s intention not to get involved in the war.

She said Canada prefers a diplomatic solution and that she had spent the last two days talking to her counterparts in the Middle East about that.

“Some countries believe that a diplomatic solution is not possible at this time,” Anand said. “Others want to work as quickly as possible to ensure diplomacy becomes the next phase of this horrific situation.”

Greaves, a former University of Victoria international relations professor, said Carney’s decision to side with the American campaign in Iran is at odds with the content of his landmark speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“It implies independence, consistency, and principled pragmatism in our foreign policy, even when it’s uncomfortable,” Greaves said in the video.

“Today’s statement from Canada about the U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran feels different.”

He called for “candour with Canadians” as to “what are our red lines.”

Greaves called for “a consistent Canadian standard, one that applies the laws of war and the principle of protecting civilians, whether the actors are allies or adversaries.”

The post was liked by Instagram accounts belonging to several Liberal MPs, including former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, Braedon Clark, Ginette Lavack, Patrick Weiler and Sameer Zuberi. None of them responded to a request from The Canadian Press to comment on their endorsement of the post.

The account of Health Minister Marjorie Michel was among those that had liked the post on Instagram, though a spokesman said this was done in error.

“Minister Michel is supportive of the position of the Prime Minister and Minister Anand. The like was made by mistake by a member of the minister’s staff. The like has now been removed,” wrote Guillaume Bertrand.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes as were many civilians. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the U.S.-Israeli operation had killed at least 555 people. Iranian authorities said more than 100 children were killed in an attack on a school.

The UN education agency, UNESCO, called the school attack a “grave violation of humanitarian law.”

In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed.

Iran has also targeted U.S. military bases and diplomatic posts in the Middle East, including in Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. It has also expanded its attacks to include regional oil infrastructure.

The Canadian Armed Forces did not have an immediate tally when asked Monday how many troops are stationed across the region.

Last June, the military said “up to five Canadian Armed Forces members operate from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,” which Iran had attacked that month in retaliation for previous U.S. airstrikes.

Canada also has an operational support hub in Kuwait, which provides support for personnel, matériel and equipment in the region.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war would likely take several weeks, insisting the U.S. is determined to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its naval capacity and ensure Iran cannot continue to support allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel.

Global Affairs Canada said Monday there were 85,000 Canadians and permanent residents registered in 15 countries in the Middle East, including more than 23,000 in both United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, and almost 11,000 in Saudi Arabia. Nearly 3,000 are in Iran.

The numbers are just estimates because registration is voluntary.

Global Affairs said it had no reports of a Canadian injured or killed as a result of the war.

Canada is advising against all travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, and to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Canada’s embassy in Abu Dhabi is also warning people that “publishing or sharing rumours or information on social media … is a crime punishable by law in the UAE.”

In a social media post on Saturday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote that he supported actions to topple the Iranian regime, noting multiple acts of repression and human-rights violations.

“Conservatives support the United States, Israel, and our allies across the Gulf to defend their sovereignty and dismantle the clerical military dictatorship of Iran,” Poilievre wrote on social media.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet wrote in French he had “serious concern” about American use of force without any backing of the U.S. Congress or allies, adding that endorsing the strikes seemed “premature.”

NDP Leader Don Davies raised similar points as Greaves, suggesting Carney is contradicting his Davos speech.

“Endorsing illegality, violence, and destruction over dialogue and peaceful resolution is not what Canadians were promised, or support,” Davies wrote.

Canada and Iran have not had formal diplomatic relations since 2012 and Canada has listed the Iranian government as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Anand said Canada will continue to stand by the Iranian people, noting the government has issued about 500 sanctions linked to the Iranian regime.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 2, 2026.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in New Delhi, Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa and The Associated Press

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press