Canada’s response to the escalating conflict involving Iran has become the subject of growing scrutiny after Prime Minister Mark Carney offered a series of statements that appeared to shift in tone over the span of several days.
According to Fox News, Carney initially voiced support for U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran. But within days, he raised concerns that the two countries had moved forward without consulting international partners.
The prime minister said the United States and Israel “acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada.”
Soon after, Carney left open the possibility that Canada could become involved militarily in the conflict.
During a visit to Australia on Wednesday, he was asked whether Canada might join U.S. forces if the situation escalates.
“One can never categorically rule out participation,” Carney told reporters, adding that Canada “will stand by our allies, when makes sense.”
The shifting tone prompted criticism from analysts and political opponents alike.
“He’s been all over the place,” Nader Hashemi, a Canadian-born associate professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told Fox News Digital. “It doesn’t look very good for him or for the government of Canada.”
Hashemi suggested the prime minister’s evolving comments may reflect pressure from public opinion and broader geopolitical considerations.
“My own reading is that he’s influenced by public opinion and his understanding of Canada’s national interests and where they lie, and specifically the relationship with the United States at its core,” Hashemi said.
“His first statement was very supportive of the American-Israeli attack and then he walked it back two days later when he got a lot of pushback because there was no reference to Canada’s support for international law, rules-based order and the United Nations.”
Some Canadian political leaders also questioned the government’s messaging.
Carney, meanwhile, has emphasized the importance of international norms while speaking abroad.
During his Australian tour, he warned that “hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws while others bear the consequences.”
The prime minister also said Canada supports efforts aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Canada backs “efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” Carney said.
However, he added that Canada “take[s] this position with regret because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order.”
Carney also called for a cooling of tensions.
“Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities and is prepared to assist in achieving this goal,” he said.
Public opinion in Canada appears divided on the issue.
According to an Angus Reid Institute poll released Tuesday and conducted among 1,619 respondents, 49% of Canadians opposed the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, while 34% said they supported them.
