Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has repeatedly said that Canada and its allies are seeking to “diplomatically, economically and politically suffocate” President Vladimir Putin’s regime within it. imposing more and more stifling sanctions. The minister marked the 100e day of the invasion, June 3, declaring: “For 100 days, innocent Ukrainians have been suffering, and many have died needlessly. For 100 days, Vladimir Putin has been trying to destroy Ukraine’s economy, causing a food security crisis felt around the world. For 100 days, Russia has been lying and spreading misinformation. A hundred days too long. »
Despite the minister’s remarks, senior officials from Global Affairs Canada, including the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Morgan, saw fit to send one of their own to a reception held at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa in l honor of the National Day of the Russian Federation the following week. The participation of the Deputy Chief of Protocol of Canadian diplomacy, Yasemin Heinbecker, in this celebration offered an unprecedented opportunity for propaganda to the Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov, who never ceased to glorify the aggression of Mr. Putin since the invasion. The Russian Embassy even posted a tweet highlighting the presence of Mr.me Heinbecker at the reception, thus implying that the alleged diplomatic isolation of his country mentioned by Mme Joly just a few days earlier was in fact only a pipe dream.
A spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada initially defended the authorization of the participation of Mme Heinbecker at the Russian ceremony, saying that the two countries had not broken off their diplomatic relations. However, the latter changed her mind a few hours later, after the Globe and Mail published an article online last Sunday reporting on the situation. Global Affairs Canada quickly offered its apologies and, on Sunday evening, Ms.me pretty a wrote a tweet “Completely unacceptable. No Canadian representative should have attended the event organized at the Russian Embassy and no Canadian representative will attend such an event in the future. »
The next day, Mr.me Joly insisted that she had not been made aware of the decision of her officials, a decision which she discovered when the article appeared in the World. But the damage was done. Not only did the case undermine the credibility of his earlier statements, but it exposed the poor judgment of senior Canadian diplomats, even as Mr.me Joly tries to extend her influence on the international scene. “We no longer live in a unipolar world. Old alliances are being strained and new alliances are taking shape, she said this month as she launched an in-depth review of her ministry. In order to maximize our impact in all respects, strong, strategic, diversified and agile diplomacy remains a sine qua non. »
For several years now, Canadian diplomats have been deploring the growing interference of political advisers from the Prime Minister’s Office in their toes. Stephen Harper’s former Conservative government distrusted career diplomats at Global Affairs Canada and systematically ignored their recommendations. The arrival of the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has raised many hopes within the department, hopes of a return to the era when the professionalism and expertise of Canadian diplomacy were valued by its political bosses. But the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s office still ensures that Canadian foreign policy, if there is one, remains the prerogative of the head of government.
The Yasemin Heinbecker affair — a sort of Canadian-style Partygate — does nothing to change the situation. Always in the World, which cited anonymous sources in the government, we learned this week that the Prime Minister’s Office had intervened last Sunday to order Global Affairs Canada to offer its apologies following this diplomatic mess. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, acting Conservative leader Candice Bergen asked Trudeau how his government, which claims to support Ukraine, could send a representative “to his enemy to enjoy champagne and caviar” .
For his part, M.me Morgan, the deputy minister, would have authorized the participation of Ms.me Heinbecker at the party because she said she feared for the safety of Canadian diplomats serving in Moscow. Basically, his decision stemmed from a certain idea that peace in Ukraine inevitably passes through a dialogue with Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron became the standard-bearer for this idea when he recently called on the world to “not humiliate Russia”. His remarks sparked an outcry in Ukraine and highlighted the differences between Washington and Paris. The Government of Canada is resolutely behind the United States on this issue. His own diplomats found out the hard way.