OTTAWA –
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party’s relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Nawaz Tahir of the Hikma Public Affairs Council in London, Ont., met Poilievre during the leader’s outreach efforts in southwestern Ontario last summer.
Tahir said he believes Poilievre has missed chances to show compassion for Muslims and that building ties could be “much more difficult now.”
Poilievre’s reluctance to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza came up in January when Conservative MP Garnett Genuis met members of Mississauga’s Pakistani and Muslim communities.
A man asked why Poilievre had not called for a ceasefire, saying it was, “Just a question from my heart to you,” as the discussion talked about better protecting children.
In a roughly 52-minute video shared on social media, Genuis admitted the party’s position may not be one that is “100 …