The Liberal Party press office released this statement late today:
Date: August 21, 2006
For Release: Immediate
Statement by the Honourable Bill Graham, Leader of the Opposition, on Hezbollah
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I wish to reiterate our position with respect to the listing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and should be treated as such under all applicable Canadian laws.
Hezbollah is committed to the overthrow of the state of Israel and has demonstrated in both words and actions that it is committed to a policy of violent anti-Semitism. The Government of Canada must condemn such groups as strongly as possible. The Liberal Party of Canada is committed to a policy that stresses peace and stability in the region. Hezbollah works deliberately to undermine the security of Israel and to destabilize the emerging democracy in Lebanon. That is why it was the Liberal Party of Canada that originally listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization under Canadian law and why we still strongly support keeping Hezbollah on that list. Any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect the official position of our party.
The Liberal Party of Canada believes that the Government of Canada must work with all parties of goodwill in the region to try to bring about a lasting peace that ensures the security and well-being of the state of Israel and which will allow for the growth of a truly democratic government in Lebanon.
and here's Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj reaction to a news article carried by Canwest News:
August 21, 2006
Statement from Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj
“CanWest News today reported that I support taking Hezbollah off Canada’s list of banned terrorist organizations. This is emphatically wrong. On the contrary, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and I stated that it must remain on Canada’s list because it has committed war crimes by sending rockets into civilian areas.
“What I did say, however, is that the legislation surrounding our banned list of terrorist organizations must be evaluated to ensure our role as mediator is not compromised. Currently, the legislation forbids Canada from having any discussions with those on the list, and I believe this is not the way to achieve peace.
“Canada must be a partner in any efforts by the international community to bring peace and stability to the region, and we can not play that role if we are shackled by this legislation which forbids us from even speaking to those groups on our list. Discussion, negotiation and diplomacy are paramount to a lasting peace.”