(Ottawa) The Trudeau government summoned the Russian ambassador, Oleg Stepanov, in reaction to the death of opponent Alexeï Navalny.
A senior official from Global Affairs Canada met with Moscow’s envoy on Wednesday, at the request of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
The Kremlin was then asked to “conduct a full and transparent investigation into this death” and “to hand over Mr. Navalny’s body to his family without delay,” the minister’s office was told.
“Alexei Navalny was a symbol of hope for the Russian people and his legacy will endure for generations to come,” it was also said.
Russian ambassadors stationed in many European capitals, including Paris and Berlin, have been summoned in recent days following the death of the Russian dissident.
Minister Joly is currently in Brazil, where she is participating in a meeting with her G20 counterparts.
Ambassador Stepanov has been summoned several times by the Canadian government since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.
Vladimir Putin’s sworn enemy, aged 47, died last Friday in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic, in circumstances which remain to be clarified.
Hours after news of Navalny’s death broke, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Russian president a “monster.”
“Canada remains determined to hold President Putin accountable for his actions,” he also wrote on the X platform.