Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s U.N. ambassador Marc-André Blanchard yesterday boasted about his vote for a North Korean-sponsored resolution against Israel last week, tweeting that at last “Canada found its voice”:
Le Canada retrouve sa voix à l’ONU https://t.co/rxNRH56NMG via @lp_lapresse
— Marc-Andre Blanchard (@mablanchard65) November 23, 2019
The tweet by Blanchard, a political appointee of Justin Trudeau who served on his transition team following the 2015 election, sparked a firestorm of criticism from Canadians.
“No, Mr. Ambassador,” responded Hillel Neuer, the Canadian-born human rights lawyer who heads the non-governmental organization UN Watch, “when you voted on behalf of our country for an anti-Israeli UN resolution sponsored by NORTH KOREA and other dictatorships, you didn’t find Canada’s voice. You joined the jackals in order to win their votes in your campaign for a Security Council seat.”
No, Mr. Ambassador: when you voted on behalf of our country for an anti-Israeli UN resolution sponsored by NORTH KOREA and other dictatorships, you didn’t “find Canada’s voice.” You joined the jackals in order to win their votes in your campaign for a Security Council seat. https://t.co/2bmCbdlfic
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 23, 2019
Neuer pointed to the more than 10,000 Canadians who have already signed a petition protesting Trudeau’s sudden embrace of a one-sided resolution that Canada, including under his tenure, had opposed for years.
Because the resolution has to receive final approval in a second round of voting in December, the petition notes that there is still time for Trudeau to reverse his support for a text that rebukes Israel while giving a free pass to Palestinian incitement and terrorism by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority.
Here is a sample of 10,000 Canadian voices urging you to cancel this absurd vote on its second reading in December: https://t.co/adcfnzpBtN
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 24, 2019
Others who blasted Blanchard’s statement include former Canadian foreign minister John Baird, MPs Peter Kent and Erin O’Toole, Senator Linda Frum, and NGO Monitor’s Becca Wertman, author of an op-ed on the controversial vote.
PM Trudeau’s guy bragging about Canada’s vote at the UN against Israel! Bragging about it!!! https://t.co/tvwJXUrX5C
— John Baird (@Baird) November 23, 2019
Repugnant! Harmoniser la voix du Canada avec la Corée du Nord et l’Organisation de Liberation de la Palestine.
— Peter Kent (@ProsaicPKent) November 24, 2019
Combien de votes avez-vous obtenus avec ce changement de position?
— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) November 23, 2019
Canada votes against Israel for the first time in 14 years and our Ambassador boasts that Canada has regained its voice. No. This is not Canada’s voice we’re hearing. It’s Justin Trudeau’s voice and I hope Canada’s Jewish community is listening. https://t.co/n9N4bixMlH
— Linda Frum (@LindaFrum) November 23, 2019
That vote was not "Canada regaining its voice at the UN." That vote symbolized Canada siding with some of the worst human rights abusing regimes in the world and disregarding its democratic ally.
— Becca Wertman-Traub (@becca_w13) November 23, 2019
Baird pointed out that the vote change by Trudeau was not disclosed to voters prior to the recent election in Canada, and that Trudeau had voted for the same resolution for several years already.
Funny they didn’t change their vote last year before an election! https://t.co/S1UVTHffIN
— John Baird (@Baird) November 24, 2019
Liberals followed our voting record for four years! https://t.co/MKO3J63HNM
— John Baird (@Baird) November 24, 2019