OTTAWA-
It was “absolutely unacceptable” for any Canadian representative to attend a party at the Russian embassy in Ottawa last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.
“It should never have happened, and we thoroughly denounce it,” Trudeau said during question period in the House of Commons when he was pressured by interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen.
The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday that Yasemin Heinbecker, Canada’s deputy chief of protocol for Global Affairs, had attended a party at the embassy last Friday to celebrate Russia Day.
Russia Day, which is celebrated on June 12 of each year, is the national holiday of the Russian Federation. It marks the adoption of a 1990 declaration that led to constitutional reforms and, finally, the end of the Soviet era.
Bergen on Tuesday asked the prime minister why a government backing Ukraine was sending a representative “to his enemy’s house to enjoy champagne and caviar.”
Bergen said he hoped Trudeau would apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trudeau said he spoke by telephone with Zelenskyy for 45 minutes on Tuesday about Canada’s support for the invaded country that Russia invaded in February.
“President Zelenskyy and I had a very positive conversation where this issue did not arise, because obviously there are much more important issues,” he said.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told the House of Commons that she was angry with the party and her department had apologized.
He told reporters on Tuesday that he did not know Heinbecker was attending the party in advance and did not ask his office for an explanation as to why it was approved, because “he would never have approved it, so there is no explanation.” .
Joly said he had a “difficult conversation” with his staff and deputy minister on Monday, and also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart.
In a tweet posted on Saturday, Russia’s embassy in Canada said the event was attended by Russian and Canadian media, “representatives of Canadian society” and Global Affairs Canada.
He also said that Oleg Stepanov, Russia’s ambassador to Canada, delivered a speech noting that June 12 also marks the 80th anniversary of Russian-Canadian diplomatic relations.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 14, 2022.