cANADA PERSPECTIVE ON IRAN: 1)Canada will ‘never participate’ in Iran offensive, Carney says; Seven ways the war in Iran could affect Canadians, from grocery costs to terrorism; 2)Ride-share drivers in Canada feel the sting at pump amid conflicts in Middle East
1)Canada will ‘never participate’ in Iran offensive, Carney says
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Nick Murray, March 10, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney told MPs in the House of Commons Tuesday that Canada is not involved in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and “will never participate in it.”
The prime minister changed his schedule to attend Tuesday’s question period after being criticized for not answering to parliamentarians about Canada’s position on the war in Iran.
Carney was asked few questions about the conflict Tuesday. Conservatives chose to grill the prime minister on public safety, inflation and affordability.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet did raise the war in Iran and criticized Carney for “travelling the globe like Marco Polo.”
Blanchet called on Carney to share with parliamentarians his vision for the Middle East.
“Canada’s stance is clear. Canada supports the necessity to prevent Iran’s nuclear program and the export of terrorism,” Carney said in French.
“Canada is not participating in the United States and Israeli offensive and will never participate in it.”
Blanchet later asked Carney whether he’s met with European leaders and whether they had come to a common position on Iran.
Carney listed off the G7 leaders he’s spoken with — including U.S. President Donald Trump — and said they will find a common stance on de-escalation in Iran.
“It will take a lot of drifting of the continents to make the United States part of Europe,” Blanchet quipped back.
Carney said he spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders “underscored opening secure access through the Strait of Hormuz” and discussed rising energy prices from the conflict.
Carney also spoke with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday, according to his office.
Carney faced some heckles from the Conservative benches about being absent Monday. B.C. Conservative MP Frank Caputo at one point yelled, “Thanks for coming out!”
Ontario Liberal MP John-Paul Danko returned the favour, telling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre he should get his security clearance.
“Your MAGA is showing,” Danko later yelled to Poilievre as he and Carney sparred over the government’s response to recent synagogue shootings in Canada.
On Monday, several opposition MPs called out the prime minister for not showing up to a debate on the Iran war that the government itself initiated. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Defence Minister David McGuinty took part in Monday’s debate in Carney’s absence.
Carney was not there because he was attending a community Iftar — an event at sunset to break the daily fast during Ramadan — according to his Monday itinerary.
Carney also did not attend question period Monday.
Parliamentary rules prevent MPs from making statements in the House about who is not there, but many pointed out during Monday’s debate that Carney had yet to explain Canada’s position on the war to them, or to answer any of their questions.
“In Quebec and across Canada, people are wondering where the prime minister is. Where is the prime minister in this debate? Where is the prime minister in this arena that we call the House of Commons?” said Quebec Conservative MP Gérard Deltell.
Poilievre at one point tried to point out Carney’s absence. He was cut off by the Speaker.
Carney has been accused in recent days of inconsistency in his approach to the war.
While he initially supported the airstrikes as a means of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Carney said days later that support came “with regret” because the U.S. and Israel did not follow international law when they launched hostilities.
He later came in for more criticism when he refused to rule out Canada participating in the war. Carney made that statement in response to a question and indicated it was a hypothetical situation.
Bloc Québécois House leader Christine Normandin said Carney’s decision not to join the debate Monday follows a pattern her party has observed throughout his first year in office — “a disinterest, at best, for parliamentary work and for answering questions and for accountability.”
NDP Leader Don Davies said Carney’s decision to skip the debate was unacceptable.
2)Seven ways the war in Iran could affect Canadians, from grocery costs to terrorists
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Dylan Robertson, March 7, 2026
The war Washington launched against Iran could have implications for Canadians’ pocketbooks and security.
“This is not going to end any time soon,” said Carleton University defence expert Stephen Saideman.
“It’s going to be harmful to our economy. It’s going to raise the possibility of terrorism. It’s going to generate more conflict in the Middle East. And it was completely unnecessary.”
As the conflict engulfs the broader Middle East, here are some possible outcomes for Canada.
1) AN OIL BOOM?
The war is already choking global fuel supplies. One-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow body of water that Iran has said it will block.
U.S. President Donald Trump has responded by suggesting the U.S. will conduct patrols to escort tankers through the strait.
In theory, limited oil supply could drive up prices and demand for Canadian crude.
That might lead to a stronger Canadian dollar and a boost to the economy. It could also leave shippers passing higher fuel costs on to consumers.
TD Bank economist Marc Ercolao said in a note to clients Friday that the national average price of gasoline jumped 12 cents this week — an almost 10 per cent gain — “with further moves higher likely on the way.”
At National Bank, analyst Cameron Doerksen said in a research note that jet fuel prices were already on the rise before spiking this week. That could affect the summer vacation landscape in Canada, he warned.
2) EXPENSIVE GROCERIES
Fen Osler Hampson, an international affairs professor at Carleton University, said wars which happen before the fall harvest season tend to have an impact on food availability in multiple countries.
War can disrupt shipments of fertilizer and the petrochemicals and fuel used in food production — particularly amid shifts linked to climate change.
“This war comes at a terrible time, when it comes to agriculture,” Hampson said. “This is going to have all kinds of knock-on effects.”
Fraser Johnson of the Ivey Business School at Western University has said consumers could feel the jump in global energy prices at the grocery store. The shorter shelf life of fresh food means greater vulnerability to global shipping disruptions and changes in freight rates that ultimately are passed on to consumers.
3) TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
On Feb. 28, hours into the U.S. airstrikes, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police wrote that “based on current intelligence, there is no indication of any imminent threat to Canada or Canadians.”
The organization said it would monitor for threats.
“Experience shows that periods of geopolitical tension can sometimes inspire extremist networks, hate-motivated individuals or proxy-related threat actors to exploit these situations to incite hate-fuelled violence,” the organization said.
Thomas Juneau, a University of Ottawa professor specializing in Iran and Gulf countries, said Canada should be concerned about transnational repression emanating from Iran because the regime lashes out when it’s backed into a corner.
“Survival at home includes countering anti-regime activism abroad. They won’t disentangle these two things,” Juneau said last weekend.
Last weekend, in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill, Ont., 17 bullets were fired into a gym owned by Salar Gholami, who used the building to organize large protests against the regime.
Gholami has said he believes his gym was targeted by people linked to the Islamic Republic. York Regional Police say they’re aware of those claims but haven’t established a motive.
Kaveh Shahrooz, a senior fellow a the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, has warned that Canada is already seen as a safe haven for regime officials — who might try emigrating to Canada if the Islamic Republic appears to be near collapse.
He said Ottawa should make sure it closely vets those entering Canada to prevent a situation similar to Nazi officials fleeing Germany for places such as Argentina.
4) INTER-COMMUNAL VIOLENCE
Some American and Israeli officials have talked of emboldening factions within Iran that have at times looked to separate or obtain more autonomy.
Hampson said there is a risk of Iran imploding, leaving various ethnic groups and militias battling for control. That could reverberate among the various Middle Eastern diasporas in Canada.
Younes Zangiabadi, executive director of the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, said countries will be watching to see how Canada responds to violence in Iran by all players — including the bombing of a girls’ school last weekend.
“That is something that should be condemned if you’re principled,” he said. “Regardless of where you live, we’re all human.”
5) BOOTS ON THE GROUND
Prime Minister Mark Carney said this week he could not “categorically” rule out military participation in the Middle East, adding that this was a “fundamental hypothetical.”
Iran borders NATO ally Turkey, which reported Thursday that a NATO defence system had shot down an incoming ballistic missile. But the alliance played down the prospect of invoking its collective defence clause, which would theoretically bring Canada into a war against Iran.
Saideman said that’s not likely to happen because there are divisions within the alliance about the U.S. campaign in Iran.
He noted that the Trump administration is unlikely to seek Canadian involvement in the region as a diplomatic sign of multilateralism, because that is not a priority for the U.S.
But Hampson argued Washington might pressure Ottawa to send naval assets to accompany ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf countries might make the same demand of Canada as it seeks more investment from the region.
Canada already has 200 military personnel in the Middle East at six different locations.
On Thursday, Kuwait activated its air-defence systems after missiles were fired toward the country.
Videos posted on social media reportedly show an explosion at the Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, though the U.S. Air Force had not confirmed that Friday.
Canada has an operational support hub at that base, according to regulatory records.
6) WIDER EFFECTS
The Washington Post reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on the location of U.S. targets.
Meanwhile, American involvement in Iran could theoretically distract Washington from Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, and any Chinese movement in the South China Sea. It might also require Canada to one day reallocate assets it currently has stationed in Latvia to help deter a Russian attack.
“We need to think about countries using supplies that they can’t use for other things,” Saideman said.
He said the war could expand in unpredictable ways. He cited how Sri Lanka took control of an Iranian naval vessel off its coast, a day after the U.S. sank an Iranian warship in the same waters.
“That’s a radical expansion of the war beyond the immediate Middle East,” he said.
Saideman also said countries in a position to obtain nuclear weapons are likely to put those efforts into overdrive now, given how Iran was attacked before it had that capacity.
“That’s the only way to make sure that you could be in the North Korean club, where you are immune from American attack,” he said.
Ultimately, the American attack could see Canada distance itself further from the U.S.
“Tying ourselves too close to the Americans at this moment in time is very costly, because the Americans are going to be doing incredibly dumb, foolish, counterproductive things — and we don’t want that to spill over on us,” he said.
7) A DEMOCRATIC IRAN?
Many in the Iranian diaspora hope that the war will put an end to a 47-year-old regime that has committed egregious human rights abuses and sponsored terrorist groups.
Ottawa has continually noted Iran’s destruction of Flight PS752 in 2020 — which killed 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents — and brazen state violence against those protesting the regime in recent months.
But Trump has mulled an approach to Iran similar to his policy on Venezuela, where he has rebuffed democracy activists and maintained an autocratic regime which has ramped up its repression.
Hampson said this is a constant source of tension for Canada, which generally supports the use of force to protect people suffering under brutal governments but tends to insist on intervention being carefully considered in venues like the United Nations.
“The purists say you can’t do it — (that) you shouldn’t intervene. Those arguments become a bit harder to sustain when you have very brutally repressive regimes that are doing terrible things to their own population.”
2)Ride-share drivers in Canada feel the sting at pump amid conflicts in Middle East
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Nono Shen, March 7, 2026.
Ride-share drivers across Canada say the surging gas prices at the pump, tied to the escalating conflicts in the Middle East, are the final straw for them.
As the war in Iran, led by the U.S. and Israel, enters its second week, thousands of kilometres away from the tensions in Surrey, B.C., Kuljeet Singh is feeling the sting as he sees gas prices surge to $1.70 per litre, compared to about $1.10 per litre six years ago.
Prices jumped sharply over the past week, and that increase is making it even more difficult to make a living behind the wheel.
“My father is old. I have to take him to appointments. That’s why I chose the flexible job. But now it’s getting harder and harder,” said Singh.
Singh said the prices are putting more strain on Canadian gig economy workers, forcing them to work more to get by. He said he is working more than 70 hours per week to make a living.
The GasBuddy website shows the average regular gas price in B.C. is about $1.72 per litre, while the price in Ontario is averaging just under $1.50 per litre.
Singh said his earnings have already been stretched by ride-share platforms’ commissions, vehicle maintenance and insurance fees, and now the rising gas prices are leaving him stretched.
Truck drivers said they’re also feeling the pinch after seeing diesel prices jump this week.
Ali Yemai from Richmond, B.C., who has been working as a truck driver for 15 years, said diesel has soared to $2.26 per litre, leaving him worried the rising fuel cost could lead to inflation and affect low-income families.
Viet Vu, manager of economic research at the Dais think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, said when it comes to energy prices, people may not appreciate there is one single market for crude oil.
“It’s not the fact that there is a separate market with separate prices in the Middle East compared to North America. Oftentimes, there’s a single world price that almost every single producer and every single buyer of oil are subjected to,” said Vu.
But any disruption in the world can impact world prices “quite dramatically and quickly,” added Vu.
The conflict in the Middle East has left ships that carry roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf that is bordered on its north by Iran.
Vu said the Persian Gulf is the only way for oil products to be shipped to the global market from the Middle East, but now Iran has set at least one ship on fire, and it’s threatening to burn any ship that tries to transit through the strait.
Kuwait, OPEC’s fifth-largest oil producer, said on Saturday it would reduce production as a precautionary measure due to the war, which could jolt global energy markets even further.
Vu said the gas price increase at the moment is “quite modest.” For example, prices in Toronto, where he lives, have seen a steady rise on a day-by-day basis, with prices holding at about $1.52 per litre at the moment.
“Historically speaking, it’s certainly higher than last week, and it’s higher than how we ended the year,” said Vu, noting prices are still low compared to the $1.80 per litre many drivers in Toronto witnessed about two years ago.
Vu said the last time Canadian drivers saw a fairly significant shift in prices due to geopolitical tension was after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, leading to the shutdown of some key supply pipelines from Russia.
But Vu said now the problem is how long the conflict will last.
If tensions in Iran and the surrounding regions continue to drag on, more countries and regions, such as Alberta, that have the capabilities to produce oil, will likely increase production to stabilize prices, said Vu.
— with files from The Associated Press