The Prime Minister's recent travels have raised eyebrows, as he has met with world leaders accused of human rights abuses.
At the NATO Summit, he spent time with Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has a history of crushing the free press, undermining the judiciary, and violating human rights. A memorable passage from Dr. Martin Luther King's first book comes to mind: "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it." Erdogan's actions are a stark example of this.
As a parting gesture, Erdogan gave the Prime Minister a gift of an engraved .357 magnum Colt Python revolver, a restricted weapon in Canada. This symbolic gift has sparked concern about the Prime Minister's willingness to cozy up to authoritarian leaders.
The Prime Minister's recent stop in China has also raised concerns. China is notorious for its human rights abuses, including forced labor, mass detentions, and religious persecution. The Prime Minister's Privy Council Office initially stated that he did not raise human rights concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but later recanted.
The visit to China was touted as "historic and productive" by the Prime Minister, but the reality is that it sent a message of complicity with China's human rights abuses.
The Prime Minister's trip also included a stop in Saudi Arabia, a country known for its egregious human rights record. Saudi Arabia hands out lengthy prison sentences for social media posts about human rights, executes hundreds of people annually, and discriminates against women.
The Prime Minister met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This meeting has sparked outrage among human rights advocates and families of the victims of the 9/11 terror attack, which was perpetrated by Saudi nationals.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy has spoken out against the Prime Minister's actions, saying that he is erasing a legacy of human rights commitment that goes back decades for the Liberal Party.
As one of the most respected voices on human rights, Axworthy's words carry significant weight. His message is clear: the Prime Minister's actions are morally wrong and a repudiation of Canada's human rights policy.
It is time for the Prime Minister to re-examine his priorities and take a stand against human rights abuses. As Dr. King said, "He who accepts evil without protesting is really cooperating with it." The Prime Minister must not be complicit in the actions of authoritarian leaders.
