Trudeau’s undying love for Cuba: Canada’s shameless support for tyranny

When the brutish Communist dictator Fidel Castro died two years ago, many Cubans throughout the West rejoiced upon hearing the news. It was, indeed, a symbolic moment for those who had watched in horror the fate that befell their beloved island. Reacting to news of Fidel’s death, Felix Rodriguez--- the former CIA operative who is known for his role in capturing and killing Che Guevara in Bolivia in October 1967--- had this to say: “ It’s a shame Fidel died peacefully in bed without being tried for all the crimes he committed against the Cuban people.” It’s rather lugubrious, and hypocritical, that Castro was free to attend Pierre Trudeau’s funeral to be a pallbearer when the true nature of his regime had, at that point, become indisputable, but an elaborate trial was held for one of the Left’s pariahs, Augusto Pinochet, whose reign over Chile was arguably tame compared to the island gulag Castro and his thugs had established with sheer brutality after taking power on January 1, 1959. One of the interesting aspects of Castro’s death was the response from world leaders, particularly those in North America, given the history of Cuba’s relations with these countries. President Trump wrote in his statement that Castro’s legacy would be one of “firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and denial of fundamental human rights.” Much to our ignominy on the international stage, in his reaction, our imbecilic Prime Minister praised his Uncle Fidel as a “remarkable leader” who had ruled Cuba for “almost half a century” (well, there were reasons for that Justin, and it was not due to Uncle Fidel’s pure skill in the realm of democratic politics), and would be mourned by the Cuban people who “held a deep affection” for their leader. Perhaps they did; but perhaps it was because they were aware of the consequences if Castro wasn’t heaped with oleaginous praise. The Prime Minister split with the free world then in favor of his precious Uncle’s regime, and his government has done it again, courtesy of the United Nations. On Wednesday, UN Watch published a report revealing that Canada had “broke with the free world and joined Syria, Iran and North Korea by voting no on eight separate measures that sought to hold Cuba accountable for widespread human rights violations.” These measures were amendments brought forward by the United States to bring attention to a multitude of offenses that have long been hallmarks of the regime. The motions included calls to address crackdowns on freedom of speech, the denial of economic freedom, impeding worker’s rights, an unjust judiciary system, and the release of political prisoners. For a government who’s sloganeering usually contains the words “diversity” and “freedom”, Canada’s votes are puzzling. But one might assume that such a sacrifice of one’s principles to appease Uncle Raul (who took over after Fidel stepped down in 2008) and Cuban Communists must be for the undeniable benefit of the Canadian national interest. In actuality, it’s a move that’s self-serving to an extent that the government is heedless of the hardship our country’s diplomats have had to endure in Havana. Amidst reports of diplomats and their families suffering bizarre brain injuries---that allegedly are a result of an energy attack by a foreign adversary--- the diplomats expressed their discontent with Ottawa’s silence, telling the Globe and Mail that it was likely due to the fact that Ottawa regards its relationship with the Castro regime as highly strategic. Specifically, members of the government are petrified of “upsetting Cuba because of Canada’s bid for a UN Security Council seat,” for which Cuba’s vote is considered indispensable. There you have it. For something so fatuous (the UN’s credibility has been in significant decline over the last few decades), the Trudeau government has placated a regime that has habitually subjected people like independent journalists, academics, and artists to smear campaigns and arbitrary arrests. Experts in the art of chicanery, the Castro regime has lied to the UN repeatedly, denying the existence of 65 to 100 political prisoners and refusing to grant human rights organizations and the UN access to their detention centers. They have also shown contempt for diplomatic norms with their representatives heckling US Ambassador Kelley E. Currie as she was presenting the new human rights campaign, “Jailed for What,” to shed light on political prisoners in Cuba. In his memoir, Common Ground, Trudeau contended that “dogmatism, rigidity, and intolerance are antithetical to who we are as Canadians.” This is a pity. For in his efforts to satisfy his craving for international idolatry, he’s willing to defend regimes for which these values are sacred.