By The Canadian Press

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

Mar 2, 2026 | 4:13 AM

OTTAWA — A Liberal MP has challenged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s endorsement of American strikes on Iran, as the government sidesteps questions over whether the campaign violates international law.

Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand were in India for a visit focused on diplomacy and trade when the U.S. and Israel launched their major attack on Iran on Saturday. Both wrote a statement that day, saying “Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon” and from undermining peace.

At an event in Mumbai on Saturday, Carney said Canada would not get involved in the conflict. He was scheduled to have a news conference in New Delhi on Monday morning but abruptly cancelled it.

Anand took questions from reporters instead, and she reiterated Canada’s intention not to get involved. She also confirmed Canada had no advance notification of the attack.

Anand would not say whether Canada sees the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran as a violation of international law.

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“We prefer a diplomatic solution. This is why I have spent the last two days speaking with my counterparts across the Middle East and in the Gulf states, from Jordan, to Qatar, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to (United Arab Emirates) and all of my G7 counterparts stressing that Canada believes in a diplomatic and peaceful solution, and as soon as possible, we would like parties to get to the table,” Anand said.

“The conversations that I’ve had in that vein have yielded differing responses. Some countries believe that a diplomatic solution is not possible at this time. Others want to work as quickly as possible to ensure diplomacy becomes the next phase of this horrific situation.”

On Saturday, Victoria MP Will Greaves expressed concerns with Canada’s position in a social media post, which received likes from a handful of fellow Liberal MPs 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.

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

Greaves, a former University of Victoria international relations professor, posted that Carney’s landmark speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos goes against siding with the American campaign in Iran.

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

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

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

He said this is needed in order to “avoid sliding into automatic alignment with countries that we can no longer trust and which do not have Canada’s interests in mind.”

The mention of a “kidnap” of a national leader seemed to refer to the American raid on Caracas that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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 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.

The post was also liked by the accounts belonging to Liberal MPs Steven Guilbeault, Braedon Clark, Ginette Lavack, Patrick Weiler and Sameer Zuberi.

Greaves’ statement comes as other members of the Liberals caucus challenge remarks to reporters ahead of Carney’s trip to India by a senior official, who claimed New Delhi was no longer engaging in transnational repression or other meddling in Canada.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes by the U.S. and Israel, 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.

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 are 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 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