Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, meets with Premier of Prince Edward Island Rob Lantz in in Ottawa on Monday.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend question period Tuesday after a day’s worth of criticism from opposition MPs that he was hiding from a debate on his Middle East policy.
Mr. Carney did not attend Monday night’s take-note debate on the hostilities in the region and Canada’s response, prompting criticism throughout the evening about his absence.
The Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and NDP have accused the government of changing its position multiple times on the U.S. and Israeli air strikes against Iran and the regime’s subsequent response.
They say Canadians deserve to hear directly from the Prime Minister on the issue.
Mr. Carney’s office gave no explanation for his decision not to attend the debate, pointing to his public schedule for Monday that showed him meeting with the Premier of Prince Edward Island and then attending a Ramadan-related event.
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His office had also said late Monday that he’d have no public events Tuesday.
But that schedule was updated Tuesday morning to add an appearance at question period, where his political rivals are expected to grill him about his stance on the conflict.
Bloc House Leader Christine Normandin had said Monday that Mr. Carney’s absence from the debate reflected a general lack of interest in Parliament since he became Prime Minister last year.
Later this week, he is expected to depart on another international trip, this time to Norway and London.