Canadian lawmakers are denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government following the announcement that prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny had died while serving his sentence in a prison in the Arctic Circle.
“The death of Alexei Navalny has us all reeling,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview Friday with CBC News in Winnipeg. “It’s something that has the entire world being reminded of exactly what a monster Putin is.”
Trudeau said “there is no question that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin, he stood up to the Kremlin. He stood for freedom and democracy and the right of the Russian people to choose their future, and that was something that Putin was deeply afraid of, as he should be.”
The prime minister added that Navalny’s death redoubles the resolve of Canada and other Western nations to stand up to Putin’s human rights and international law abuses.
In a social media post, Trudeau said Navalny’s courage was unparalleled as he sent his condolences to Navalny’s family and supporters.
“To be clear: He should never have been imprisoned to begin with. Let this be an important reminder that we must continue to promote, protect and defend democracy everywhere. The consequences of not doing so are stark,” Trudeau wrote on X.
WATCH: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Navalny’s death
Trudeau reflects on Navalny’s ‘extraordinary courage’ following reports of his death
36 minutes ago
Duration 1:43
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Alexei Navalny was a fighter for human rights, democracy and standing up for the Russian people and the country’s future. Navalny’s reported death is a moment to reflect on his courage and inspiration and “double and triple down in our resolve” to stand up against Vladimir Putin, Trudeau added.
Navalny, 47, was arrested by Russian authorities in 2021 upon his return to the country after spending five months in Germany recovering from a nerve agent poisoning. He was accused and convicted in a series of cases involving charges of embezzlement, fraud and extremism.
Conservatives condemn Putin: Poilievre
The opposition figure’s death was announced on Friday by the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets region, where Navalny had been serving his sentences.
Prison authorities said Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday and “almost immediately lost consciousness.”
The statement said medical staff had been called, but they were unable to resuscitate him. The authorities said the cause of death was being established.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly echoed the prime minister’s comments.
“Alexei Navalny gave his freedom in the hopes of a better, more democratic future for the Russian people. Reports of his death are a painful reminder of Putin’s continued oppressive regime,” Joly wrote on social media. “My thoughts are with his wife, Yulia, his family, and his loved ones.”
Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae placed the blame for Navalny’s death on the Russian president.
“Putin murdered Navalny just as surely as if he’d strangled him with his bare hands,” Rae wrote on X.
Reports of Alexei Navalny’s death are tragic and horrifying. An unwavering advocate for Russian democracy and freedom, his courage was unparalleled.<br> <br>To be clear: He should never have been imprisoned to begin with. Let this be an important reminder that we must continue to…
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned Putin for Navalny’s death.
“Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died in prison. Putin imprisoned Navalny for the act of opposing the regime. Conservatives condemn Putin for his death,” Poilievre wrote on X.
The party’s foreign affairs critic, Michael Chong, wrote that Navalny was imprisoned for simply being an opposition leader.
“Conservatives condemn Putin and the Russian Federation for his death. This is not the hallmark of a great power but of a pariah state,” Chong said.
Putin murdered <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Navalny?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Navalny</a> just as surely as if he’d strangled him with his bare hands.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he was saddened by reports of the opposition figure’s death.
“Navalny’s important work exposed corruption by Putin’s oligarchs and he was killed for it,” Singh wrote on social media. “My thoughts are with his loved ones and with all political prisoners targeted by Putin.”
NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson says she was horrified by reports of Navalny’s death.
“He bravely exposed the corruption and greed of Putin and his oligarchs and was poisoned and killed for it. His death is on Putin’s hands,” McPherson wrote on social media. “My condolences to the Russian people and all those who loved Mr. Navalny.”
Navalny: If they kill me, don’t give up
In the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny, the opposition figure delivered a message to his followers in the event he was killed by Russian authorities.
“You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong,” Navalny said, speaking in Russian.
“We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive,” said Navalny.
The opposition figure returned to Russia shortly after delivering those remarks. He was arrested by Russian authorities immediately upon landing in Moscow in 2021.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
