Canadian Perspective: Iran Attack: 1)Anand: U.S., Israel have ‘no blank cheque’ in Iran and are bound by international law; 2)Middle East conflict could drive up costs across Canada’s supply chains: experts; 3) Canada’s leader says the world order is rupturin; 4)Canada urges diplomatic solution in Iran, won’t say if it views strikes as illegal; 5)No ‘imminent threat’ to Canada amid fallout of U.S. attack on Iran: police; 6)Canadian Perspective: Iran Attack: Carney says Canada supports U.S. action in Iran after attack launched; 7)Anand backs Qatar, United Arab Emirates against Iran attacks
1)Anand: U.S., Israel have ‘no blank cheque’ in Iran and are bound by international law
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Dylan Robertson, March 6, 2026.
The United States and Israel do not have a “blank cheque” in their bombing campaign in Iran, and are still bound by international law, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Friday, as the war in the Middle East approaches the seven-day mark.
“International law binds all parties and there is no blank cheque, in terms of the operation that is being undertaken,” Anand told reporters in a virtual news conference called to update efforts to help Canadians leave the region.
Anand scheduled a call on Friday with Liberal caucus members to provide them with information for constituents who are looking for assistance in the Middle East. But the call will likely also include discussion of the government’s position on the war itself.
Some caucus members have said publicly they’re uneasy with Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing support for Washington’s decision to launch the war last weekend.
While Anand said she welcomes a diversity of views among her caucus colleagues, she noted the two decades of talks aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
After the U.S. began its attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, Anand initially refused to say whether the American bombing campaign violated international law. Carney said on March 3, during a news conference in Australia, that the airstrikes likely violate international law and he expressed his support for the mission with “regret.”
Other Liberal MPs like Will Greaves have said Canada can only defend its sovereignty and the principles of international law when it shows consistency.
The Conservatives say Ottawa is flip-flopping, while some analysts argue the Liberals are kowtowing to Washington in order to avoid a suspension of the CUSMA continental trade deal.
Others have questioned Ottawa’s push for diplomacy, arguing the Carney government has implicitly accepted the American claim that diplomacy wasn’t working to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
Anand responded to those concerns by citing international law and saying Ottawa is trying to help de-escalate the situation.
“The safety of civilians is of the utmost importance,” she said. “And in that vein, de-escalation is top of mind in every conversation that I have with our partners in the Middle East and the Gulf.”
She added that Canada has sanctioned Iranian leaders and participated in diplomatic measures aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear program over the years.
“We believe in ensuring that we are doing our part for greater stability,” she said.
Anand also said she will wait to hear from Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of the defence staff, before commenting on the possibility of Canada helping Persian Gulf states defend themselves from Iranian bombing.
Speaking to reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa Thursday, Carignan said a meeting had been set for early Friday morning to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries and the Canadian Armed Forces would present a recommendation to the government.
Carignan said any assistance would be to aid Gulf states defend themselves, and it wasn’t yet known if they needed or wanted help.
Carney said this week that Canada couldn’t “categorically” rule out military participation in the escalating conflict if Canada was asked by allies to participate, but described the prospect as a “fundamental hypothetical.”
Canada has about 200 military members in the Middle East and Anand said there is no imminent plan for troops or ships to take on an active role.
“We are not anticipating military involvement at this time,” she said.
2)Middle East conflict could drive up costs across Canada’s supply chains: experts
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Craig Lord, March 6, 2026.
Analysts are warning the conflict in the Middle East could drive up costs across Canada’s supply chains and compound price pressures at the grocery store.
Global oil prices have risen sharply in recent days as Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran threaten to escalate into a wider conflict and turn the Strait of Hormuz — a critical channel for global energy shipments — into a choke point.
“Because 20 per cent of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, it’s having an effect on oil prices,” said Fraser Johnson, professor of operations management at Western University’s Ivey Business School.
“This is an old-fashioned supply and demand issue.”
While Canada doesn’t get oil or natural gas from the Gulf region, commodity prices are set globally and a supply constraint on one side of the world affects prices on the other.
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.
“Fuel prices have been volatile in recent quarters, so prices could easily fall, but as it stands today fuel will be a cost headwind for airline profitability this summer,” he said.
Johnson said consumers could feel the jump in global energy prices beyond the gas pumps.
Rising oil prices eventually lead to higher freight rates, and those costs ultimately are passed on to consumers, he said.
Companies will have fuel surcharge clauses built into their contracts with suppliers, Johnson noted. He added it can take weeks, sometimes months, before those costs are realized.
If energy costs remain high over the coming weeks, Johnson said, Canadians will feel the pinch first at the grocery store — where the shorter shelf life for fresh food means a greater vulnerability to global shipping disruptions.
“Certainly, everybody can see the increases in gasoline prices, but I think it’ll ripple through the food supply chains in North America as well,” he said.
Food inflation has again become a sore spot in Canada just a few years after supply chain kinks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic sent grocery prices surging.
Statistics Canada said food inflation increased 7.2 per cent annually in January, in part due to the absence of last year’s federal “tax holiday” that waived the sales tax on dining out and some groceries.
Staples like beef and coffee are seeing double-digit price hikes, thanks to a combination of environmental disruption and higher import costs tied to the United States’ trade war.
Economists at Desjardins said in a report earlier this week that energy market volatility could pull annual inflation up by one or two ticks this year, though a lift in the loonie tied to stronger oil revenues could help offset some price hikes.
The prospect of higher freight rates came up Thursday during an earnings call for children’s toymaker Spin Master.
Company CFO Jonathan Roiter said there’s “no material impact” on the firm’s supply chain yet from the spike in oil prices.
“Of course, if this continues for an extended period of time, we will start seeing that. And there’s probably a three or four month lag in terms of our freight costs,” he said.
— with files from Tara Deschamps in Toronto and Chris Reynolds in Montreal
3)Canada’s leader says the world order is rupturing
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
March 4th, 2026
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney say he sees the war as an extreme example of a rupturing world order in which countries increasingly act without respect for international norms and laws.
“Geo-strategically, hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws while others bear the consequences. Now the extremes of this disruption are being played out in real time in the Middle East,” Carney said at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank.
4)Canada urges diplomatic solution in Iran, won’t say if it views strikes as illegal
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Anja Karadeglija, March 2, 2026
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada would like to see a diplomatic solution to the war in Iran, even as Canada has expressed support for the U.S. military attack that killed Iran’s leader on Saturday.
Anand, speaking to reporters in New Delhi after Prime Minister Mark Carney abruptly cancelled his scheduled news conference Monday, would not say whether Canada sees the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran as a violation of international law.
“We prefer a diplomatic solution. This is why I have spent the last two days speaking with my counterparts across the Middle East and in the Gulf states, from Jordan, to Qatar, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to (United Arab Emirates) and all of my G7 counterparts stressing that Canada believes in a diplomatic and peaceful solution, and as soon as possible, we would like parties to get to the table,” Anand said.
“The conversations that I’ve had in that vein have yielded differing responses. Some countries believe that a diplomatic solution is not possible at this time. Others want to work as quickly as possible to ensure diplomacy becomes the next phase of this horrific situation.”
Carney and Anand were both in India for a four-day diplomatic and trade mission when the U.S. and Israel launched their major attack on Iran on Saturday. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.
Iranian officials have said more than 150 people, including children, died after a reported missile strike hit a school in southern Iran.
On Saturday, Carney said Canada supports the military action, but that Canada would not get involved. Anand reiterated that Monday, and confirmed Canada had no advance notification.
The UN education agency, UNESCO, called the bombing on the school a “grave violation of humanitarian law.”
Global Affairs Canada said Monday there are 85,000 Canadians and permanent residents registered in 15 countries in the Middle East, including more than 23,000 in both United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, and almost 11,000 in Saudi Arabia. Nearly 3,000 are in Iran.
The numbers are just estimates because registration is voluntary.
Global Affairs said it had no reports of a Canadian injured or killed as a result of the war.
Canada is advising against all travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates and to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Carney and Anand issued a joint statement Saturday saying Canada supports the U.S. “acting to prevent” Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and stopping the Iranian regime from “threatening international peace and security.”
Canada and Iran have not had formal diplomatic relations since 2012 and Canada has listed the Iranian government as a state sponsor of terrorism.
5)No ‘imminent threat’ to Canada amid fallout of U.S. attack on Iran: police
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Kathryn Mannie, March 1, 2026
Canada continues to grapple with the fallout of the ongoing conflict in Iran after the United States and Israel launched a major attack on the Middle Eastern country that left the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dead.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada supports the U.S. action in Iran, but Canada will not get directly involved in the conflict.
On home soil, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says there is “no indication of any imminent threat to Canada or Canadians” based on current intelligence, but police leaders are warning the public to be vigilant as airstrikes in Iran continue for a second day.
“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 association says. “While there is no specific threat at this time, awareness and early reporting are essential components of prevention.”
Iran has retaliated to the U.S.-Israel airstrikes with missiles and drone attacks on Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting U.S. forces.
Hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers have been left scrambling as the conflict spills over, shutting down much of the Middle East to air travel.
Air Canada has cancelled flights from Canada to Tel Aviv until March 8 and halted air travel to Dubai until Tuesday.
“If you are in either of these regions, please do not head to the airport,” the airline warns.
Canada’s largest flight hub, Toronto’s Pearson Airport, is warning of delays and cancellations due to widespread airspace closures and are advising passengers to check their flight status before coming to the airport.
The conflict has shut down airports and international airspace above Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Officials at Dubai International Airport — the largest in the United Arab Emirates and one of the busiest in the world — said four people were injured, while Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi said that one person was killed and seven others were injured in a drone strike. Strikes were also reported at Kuwait International Airport.
More than 1,800 flights were cancelled Sunday, including those in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt, and flight cancellations are expected to continue in the coming days.
Canada is warning people to avoid all travel to large swaths of the Middle East since the conflict began yesterday, including Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran, Syria and Yemen.
Canadians are warned to avoid non-essential travel to Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
— with files from The Associated Press
6)Canadian Perspective: Iran Attack: Carney says Canada supports U.S. action in Iran after attack launched
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Anja Karadeglija, February 28, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he supports the U.S. action in Iran, but Canada will not get directly involved in the conflict after American and Israeli militaries launched an attack on the Middle Eastern country that left its leader dead.
“We have not been party to the military build-up to this or the military planning of this, so it is not envisioned that we would be part of it moving forward,” he said at an event in Mumbai, India, before the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed.
Carney called Iran the “principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East” and said it must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon.
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” Carney said.
He also recognized the struggle of the Iranian people, and called on all parties to protect civilian lives as much as possible.
“Canada stands with Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against this oppressive regime and we reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself.”
In a statement, Carney urged Canadians in Iran to shelter in place.
Iranian media earlier reported strikes nationwide, with some of the first strikes appearing to hit areas around the offices of Khamenei.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices at the time of the strike. Iran’s state media later confirmed he was dead but did not report the cause.
Hours after the strikes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump justified the military action by claiming that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S. Trump also listed grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic.
Carney said he and his finance and foreign affairs ministers have had a series of discussions in recent weeks with the U.S. president and top officials about “the possibility of this happening” if diplomatic efforts were not successful.
Also in Mumbai, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters Canada’s ability to help those in Iran would be limited.
“There is no Canadian embassy in Iran,” she said during a media availability.
In a statement, Anand warned Canada’s “ability to provide consular services is extremely limited, especially during an active conflict.”
The statement also advised Canadians in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon to consider leaving “while commercial options remain available.”
A statement from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the Iranian regime “the principal source of terror in the Middle East and around the world” that has “shown no good faith in negotiations to change course.”
“That is why Conservatives support the courageous people of Iran in toppling this terror regime and reclaiming their destiny after 47 years of the regime’s occupation. Conservatives support a democratic, free and permanently-denuclearized Iran that lives in peace and security with its neighbours,” he said in the statement.
“And Conservatives support the United States, Israel, and our allies across the Gulf to defend their sovereignty and dismantle the clerical military dictatorship of Iran.”
Poilievre also tweeted that Khamenei’s death “brings justice for the Iranian people.”
Carney said he expected there would be an impact on oil prices when asked in India about the potential financial impact of the hostilities. But he said the issue is primarily about global security.
“I view the issue as a fundamental issue of geopolitics, of ending state-sponsored terrorism, ending nuclear proliferation in Iran and of course protecting civilian lives as much as possible as opposed to majoring on the economic side, which I don’t view as being, in the fullness of time, that material,” he said.
Carney’s support of the attack drew criticism from Wesley Wark, senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
He said Carney, “from the distance of his trip to India, has come out in full support of the U.S. action,” and is simply echoing talking points from the Trump administration.
Wark said in an online post the move is a “terrible mistake” and Carney’s first significant foreign policy error.
“It seems we still struggle to unhook ourselves from thought and policy dependency on the United States, despite a brave speech in Davos.”
— With files from The Associated Press
7)Anand backs Qatar, United Arab Emirates against Iran attacks
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Anja Karadeglija, Feb. 28, 2026.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says attacks by Iran against Canada’s partners in the Middle East must stop.
Anand said in online posts she strongly condemns the targeting of Qatar and stands with the United Arab Emirates as it defends itself against escalation by Iran.
The latest of those posts came shortly after it was confirmed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, after American and Israeli militaries launched an attack on the Middle Eastern country.
Anand is in India with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met Sunday with Indian Oil chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney and Coal India chairman and managing director Shri B. Sairam.
Carney said a day earlier Canada is aiming to sign a comprehensive trade deal with India, which would double two-way trade by 2030.
He wrapped up his visit to Mumbai, and has landed in New Delhi. The trip is part of an ongoing reset of the trade and diplomatic relationship with India.
Anand and Carney have yet to react to Khamenei’s death. Carney said Saturday evening prior to the confirmation that while he supports the U.S. action in Iran, Canada will not get directly involved in the conflict.
“We will continue to provide all possible support to Canadians throughout the region and urge Canadians in Iran to shelter in place,” Anand said in a statement.
Iran has responded to the latest strikes by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
At an event Saturday, Carney called Iran the “principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East” and said it must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon.
U.S. President Donald Trump justified the military action by claiming that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S. Trump also listed grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic.
Carney said he and his finance and foreign affairs ministers have had a series of discussions in recent weeks with Trump and top officials about “the possibility of this happening” if diplomatic efforts were not successful.
Experts told The Canadian Press Canada’s support for U.S. strikes against Iran could come with security risks, as the regime looks to retaliate against perceived enemies abroad.
Thomas Juneau, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s school of public and international affairs, pointed to a pattern of “transnational repression — targeting of Iranian-Canadian dissidents, human rights or democratic activists.”
Now in an existential fight, the regime may well pull out all the cyber-stops.
“The Iranian state is now facing a fight to the finish, to its elimination effectively. They have in their minds absolutely nothing to lose,” Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation, said in comments before Khamenei’s death was confirmed.
Iran and affiliated groups have carried out numerous campaigns against far-flung foes. State-aligned cyberwarfare groups have monitored and harassed dissidents in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany and elsewhere.
In 2024, the House of Commons condemned an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler.
– With files from The Associated Press and Christopher Reynolds