TORONTO -- Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer criticized the Liberals for providing foreign aid to Iran, North Korea and Russia, countries that he described Tuesday as 鈥渁dversarial if not outright hostile to Canadian interests and values.鈥
But that aid isn鈥檛 new 鈥 and those same countries received similar aid under the Conservatives.
In the 10 years before Trudeau was elected, Canada provided $25 million to North Korea through international programs such as the World Food Programme. Millions of dollars were also given to Russia and Iran, according to the Canadian International Development Platform,
Under Trudeau鈥檚 Liberal government, Canada contributed $5 million to humanitarian relief efforts in North Korea through the UN鈥檚 World Food Programme, and less than a quarter of a million dollars in assistance to Russia as part of a Global Equality Fund project to help members of the LGBTQ community who are under threat.
Scheer criticized the Liberals鈥 spending on foreign aid Tuesday In response, the Liberal Party pointed CTV News to a statement made by Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland, who criticized Scheer鈥檚
Cristine De Clercy, an associate professor in the department of political science at Western University, said Scheer isn鈥檛 lying, he鈥檚 just leaving out the bigger picture.
鈥淚 would say (Scheer) is interpreting the facts that are favourable to his party,鈥 she said.
鈥淲hat is truthful about the statement is that Mr. Trudeau鈥檚 government has continued these policies and they have in fact sent money abroad to a long list of countries, some of whom are not among our closest allies and some who are not democracies.鈥
Scheer promised Tuesday to take away foreign aid from 鈥渕iddle- and upper-income鈥 countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Italy that don鈥檛 need it, as well as 鈥渞epressive regimes.鈥
Scheer brings up Trudeau鈥檚 past comments on China, Fidel Castro
Scheer also brought up comments Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made in the past about admiring China鈥檚 鈥渂asic dictatorship鈥 -- a message that some experts say leaves out important context.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of admiration I actually have for China because their basic dictatorship is allowing them to actually turn their economy around on a dime and say, 鈥榃e need to go green 鈥 we need to start investing in solar,鈥欌 Trudeau told a fundraising event in 2013, a few months after becoming party leader.
He went on: 鈥淏ut if I were to reach out and say which鈥ind of administration I most admire, I think there鈥檚 something to be said right here in Canada for the way our territories are run.鈥
Scheer has repeatedly characterized Trudeau as soft on dictators, citing a speech from 2013 and comments Trudeau made one day after the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro in 2016,
鈥淲hether we are talking about Justin Trudeau鈥檚 previous praise for China鈥檚 basic dictatorship or his gushing praise for the repressive Castro regime in Cuba or his $10-million payout to Omar Khadr, it is clear that on foreign policy and human rights 鈥 like so much else 鈥 Justin Trudeau is not as advertised,鈥 Scheer said at a campaign stop in Toronto Tuesday.
The line of criticism is hardly new. In the lead-up to the 2015 election, Stephen Harper brought up those same comments in hopes of discrediting Trudeau.
A few weeks ago, the Conservative Party tweeted that Trudeau 鈥済ushed鈥 about Castro after his death. The tweet earned hundreds of retweets, including one from a Quebec Conservative candidate.
Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said any suggestion that Trudeau admires dictators is 鈥渙ver the top.鈥
鈥淲hen you make a statement like that, people start scratching their heads,鈥 he said.
鈥淲hat Trudeau said about China -- I recall the comment -- it was the sentiment that a lot of people had. In China, they decide to do something, it happens. OK, it happens to be a dictatorship, but I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 the part of China that he was admiring,鈥 he said.
In terms of political strategy, Wiseman said he doesn鈥檛 think the Conservative are winning any points with the attacks.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think these comments will move the needle a millimetre,鈥 he said.
Maxwell Cameron, the acting director of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia, agreed with Wiseman that these comparisons are unlikely to impact the vote in part because Canadians tend to be more concerned with policy within Canada, such as economic growth and jobs, when heading to the polls.
鈥淔oreign policy doesn鈥檛 tend to be one of those pocket book issues,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think people will assess how the government has dealt with the Trump administration, because that has a whole host of implications.鈥
Cameron added Scheer鈥檚 claims regarding Trudeau are 鈥渟purious,鈥 but said there鈥檚 a debate to be had about how much we emphasize democracy when it comes to foreign policy.
鈥淚 think on balance, it鈥檚 fair for the Conservatives to say (the Liberals) haven鈥檛 placed democracy as a value at the very top of their priorities, but to suggest the government cozies up to dictators is taking it a little bit far,鈥 he said.
With files from Ben Cousins
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