People who are familiar with my writing know that I am not a fan of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Whether it was his absurd comments following the Boston Marathon attack, his smug attitude towards those who oppose his Syrian refugee policy, commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day without mentioning Jews and, of course, upon the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro proclaimed he had "a tremendous dedication and love of the Cuban people", Trudeau is a man steeped in moral equivalence unable to discern good from evil.
But today Trudeau did something that fascinates me. In the course of shuffling his cabinet, he named Chrystia Freeland his new Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is fascinating because Freeland is currently banned from traveling to Russia. In March 2014, Freeland was one of 13 Canadian officials Vladimir Putin barred from Russian soil. The sanctions were imposed in retaliation for sanctions placed on Russian officials by the then Conservative government of Stephen Harper following Russian aggression in Ukraine. It should be noted that Freeland is of Ukrainian heritage and was vocally critical of Viktor Yanukovych then the Russian installed President of Ukraine. On Twitter, Freelandh called the sanctions "an honour" (Canadian spelling and all).
By contrast, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State, has significant business ties with Russia and is a certified Russophile. Let's just say that Freeland is never going to be bestowed by Putin with the Order of Friendship Award as Tillerson was in 2013. Could Russia retaliate against Canada for Trudeau's selection? If Freeland planned to visit Moscow, would Putin refuse to receive her? And how will the incoming Trump Administration react? This is undoubtedly the boldest foreign policy move Trudeau has made in his year plus in office.
Just as Trudeau and Trump are stark contrasts on Russia, they are also stark contrasts on China. While Trump is openly derisive of China where it concerns trade and cybersecurity, Trudeau is seeking to get closer to Beijing. Trudeau has named John McCallum, who oversaw the Syrian refugee program as Minister of Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship, to be Canada's next Ambassador to China. McCallum is a close confidante of Trudeau. Last September, Trudeau visited China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trudeau is following in the footsteps of his father the late Pierre Trudeau who recognized Communist China in 1970 and paid a visit to Mao in 1973.
Like Trump's admiration for the Russians, the younger Trudeau's Sinophilia has proved a source of controversy. In November 2013, while still in opposition, Trudeau took a question at a Ladies' night Liberal Party fundraiser in which he was asked what country he admired most aside from Canada. Trudeau said he admired China the most for its "basis dictatorship." Yes, you read that correctly.
In May 2016, Trudeau headlined a Liberal Party fundraiser in Toronto attended by several Chinese billionaires and several weeks later a number of large donations poured into the Pierre Eliot Trudeau Foundation. Sound familiar anyone?
This doesn't change the fact that Trudeau's choice for Minister of Foreign Affairs is bold where it concerns Russia. But it seems that in Trudeau's eyes the oppression in some totalitarian countries is more acceptable than in others. Unfortunately, the same is true for President-Elect Trump.
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