16 hours Ago By Ari Yanover
OTTAWA — A day into his new role, Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney has already managed to anger some Muslim voters and Liberal supporters by appointing former public safety minister Marco Mendicino as his chief of staff. A source close to Carney confirmed on Monday that the Toronto MP, who was seen with Carney in the corridors of Parliament during the day, would indeed serve in the key role, at least for the transition period that will see him officially sworn in as prime minister this week. News of the appointment caused Muslim groups to immediately react, given Mendicino’s strong pro-Israel stance since the Oct.
7 terrorist attacks by Hamas. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Some of them have even been swamping the phone lines of Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, who has been cool to Israel but supported Carney, according to sources who spoke to the National Post.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said in a statement it is “greatly concerned” by the Liberal MP serving in that role given his position on the Israel-Hamas war, such as opposing decisions of the International Court of Justice and a ceasefire in Gaza. Mendicino has written opinion columns including in the National Post asking Canada to reject claims of genocide against Israel and defending Indigo bookstores against acts of anti-Israel vandalism and boycotts. He currently serves as the vice president of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group.
“We remain concerned that an individual who lacks appropriate judgment...
does not have the requisite expertise to help guide Canada amid extremely delicate negotiations with the Trump administration,” read the statement issued by NCCM on Monday. “We urge Leader Carney to clarify how this selection will help further Canada’s interests.” Mendicino has also been criticized more widely during his time as public safety minister in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet for the way he handled the prison transfer of serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security facility.
Trudeau dropped him from cabinet in a shuffle in July 2023. Mendicino, 51, has said he is not running in the next federal election , adding that “as much as I love the job, this is the right decision, at the right time, for me and my family.” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also took to X to criticize Carney’s new chief of staff.
“Do these guys really deserve a fourth term?” he asked. Several of Mendicino’s former colleagues in cabinet, however, came to his defence. “I know Marco quite well,” said Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
“He’s a guy who knows the administration of the Canadian government very well. He’s coming in with solid experience.”.
