Following the issue’s appearance on council agendas in recent weeks, Whitehorse’s mayor sent a letter on behalf of city council calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
Mayor Laura Cabott penned a letter to Yukon MP Brendan Hanley on June 7 supporting the federal government’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The letter also calls for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages as part of a resolution of the conflict.
“I acknowledge that international affairs are outside of the jurisdiction of the City of Whitehorse. However, alongside those around the world, Whitehorse residents, city councillors and municipal employees are deeply troubled by the conflict in Gaza and despair the ongoing violence and loss of life,” the letter reads.
“Many Whitehorse residents feel passionately about the need to end this conflict and have expressed their desire for Whitehorse to join those calling for an end to this fighting.”
The letter to Hanley concludes offering the city’s full support to the federal government in working with international partners towards lasting peace in the region.
The possibility of sending a letter weighing in on the Gaza conflict was first proposed by Coun. Michelle Friesen last month. This attempt was struck from the agenda with a point of order before it could be debated. An outpouring of support for a ceasefire and the Palestinian people was heard at council the following week as about two dozen delegates spoke to council about the matter.
The letter Friesen initially proposed was to be sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly rather than the Yukon MP.
(Jim Elliot)
