Protestors chant together. Amanda Erickson/The Griff.

Demonstrators called out Carney for his alleged hypocrisy

Raynesh Ram 
Photos by Amanda Erickson

Pro-Palestine demonstrators rallied outside an Edmonton hotel hosting Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberal caucus during their retreat.

According to a media advisory prior to the demonstration, multiple advocacy groups in Edmonton coordinated the event. However, the advisory did not specify the names of the groups. 

Demonstrators displayed signs and flags that called for the end of Israeli occupation of Palestine, along with calls for Carney’s Liberals to do more to aid Palestinians in Gaza. Many even called out Carney’s hypocrisy in aiding Israeli forces with Canadian-made military weaponry.

“They claim that they’re not providing aid, but there are still loopholes that they know about that they refuse to close, that allow for bullets, weapons of all kinds, bombs to be transferred from Canada to Israel.”

— Unnamed pro-Palestine speaker

“The Canadian government, the ones staying in this hotel the past few days, has lied again and again about imposing an arms embargo on Israel,” said a masked speaker. 

“They claim there are no more weapons shipments. They claim that they’re not providing aid, but there are still loopholes that they know about that they refuse to close, that allow for bullets, weapons of all kinds, bombs to be transferred from Canada to Israel.” 

 “From October 2023 to July 2025, there have been 47 direct military shipments from Canadian weapons manufacturers to Israeli arms companies.” 

The speaker noted that four weapons manufacturers are Alberta-based, but did not reveal the names of the weapons manufacturers. 

Since last January, the federal government has claimed to have paused permits, thus no longer sending Canadian-made military items to Israeli forces to use in Gaza. However, activist group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East reported that Canada imported at least 18.9 million dollars in military goods during the pause. 

“Because being against genocide is the humane thing to do, and the vast majority of Canadians—you can tell by these massive protests, which have sometimes numbered in the hundreds of thousands, those are not small numbers—that Canadians do not want this genocide to continue.” 

— William Luger, pro-Palestine demonstrator

A further report, titled, Exposing Canadian Military Exports to Israel, suggests Canadian manufacturers continued to sell “military-related components to Israeli weapons companies between October 2023 and July 2025.” 

University student William Luger spoke about his reason for attending the demonstration. 

“Because I’m not going to be complicit in genocide,” Luger said. “Because being against genocide is the humane thing to do, and the vast majority of Canadians — you can tell by these massive protests, which have sometimes numbered in the hundreds of thousands, those are not small numbers — that Canadians do not want this genocide to continue.” 

Amid the noise of megaphones, drums, and clanging pots and pans were people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds — including members of Independent Jewish Voices’ Edmonton chapter, a grassroots organization rooted in “Jewish tradition that opposes all forms of racism and advocates for justice and peace for all in Israel-Palestine”.

One speaker and organizer, who wished to remain unnamed for fear of potential repercussions, spoke to the Griff about the demonstration’s aims. “We demand a total arms embargo, but at the end of the day, we also need Canada to play a part in the humanitarian mission, which is a liberated Palestine.” 

“What is going on in Palestine is not a[n] isolated event. It is a result of supporting the terrorist state of Israel. And as long as we continue to do so, as long as our Prime Ministers continue to make excuses for the Israeli regime, the people of Palestine are always going to be facing this kind of violence.” 

No members of the Liberal caucus, including Carney, addressed the demonstrators outside the hotel.