Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay yesterday defended his government's pro-Israeli policy as "a voice of reason" and denied that Canada is following the United States in siding with Israel in the current Middle East fighting.

Canada's response to Israel's offensive in Lebanon is a principled response to a particular set of circumstances, MacKay said, referring to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's opposition to calls for a ceasefire.

"A ceasefire and a return to the status quo is a victory for Hezbollah," MacKay said during an interview with Canadian Television.

Harper sided firmly with Israel since it began military airstrikes against the Lebanese-based Hezbollah militant organization.

He has called Israel's response "measured," saying the Jewish state had a right to defend itself. He called on Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to release Israeli prisoners and recognize Israel's right to exist, saying the onus was on Hezbollah to end the fighting.

Harper's pro-Israel stance has met with strong criticism both from the opposition and the public, with interim leader of major opposition party Liberal Party complained last week that Harper had abandoned Canada's traditional role as an intermediary in foreign conflicts.

On Saturday, protestors in Montreal and Toronto called on Harper to take a strong stance against the invasion, with 2,000people in Toronto demanded an immediate end to the fighting.

MacKay argued Canada has not abandoned its neutral voice, saying Canada approaches the current circumstances in the Middle East on a responsive basis.

He also rejected the claim that Canada is simply parroting the U.S.'s traditional pro-Israel position.

"Canada has taken a very independent sovereign decision to participate in world events in a way that we feel is cognizant of all the circumstances including the history, the ongoing struggles throughout the region," he added.