Trudeau: Canada will stand firm on Saudi Arabia

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will stand firm in its ongoing diplomatic battle with Saudi Arabia.

Trudeau says he will always take strong and clear positions in private and in public on questions of human rights.

He says that is what Canadians expect of his government.

Trudeau was speaking in Montreal this afternoon at a news conference regarding funding for aerospace company CAE.

The prime minister added that Canada respects the importance of Saudi Arabia in the world and recognizes it has made progress on a number of important issues.

Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic relations with Canada on Sunday in response to a tweet from Global Affairs Canada that criticized the Saudis for the arrest of social activists.

The kingdom has also cancelled new trading with Canada, rescinded student scholarships and recalled thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada and barred Canadian wheat imports.

One media report even has banks and state-owned pension funds being ordered to sell all their Canadian assets.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trudeau-canada-will-stand-firm-on-saudi-arabia-1.1120902

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Saudi Arabia weighs more measures against Canada, Al-Jubeir says

Saudi Arabia is considering other measures to take against Canada, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Wednesday, amid a crisis between the two countries over the fate of a women’s rights activist.

Al-Jubeir, speaking at a news conference in Riyadh, said there was no need for mediation in the dispute. “Canada knows what it needs to do,” he said.

The kingdom has suspended diplomatic ties as well as new investments with Canada after a Canadian call for the immediate release of an activist held in Riyadh.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/saudi-arabia-weighs-more-measures-against-canada-al-jubeir-says-1.1120668