‘Unacceptable’: Canada Says It Was Wrong To Send Official To Reception At Russian Embassy
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says it was “unacceptable” that a Canadian representative attended an event hosted at the Russian Embassy, and has vowed it won’t happen again.
As The Globe and Mail first reported, deputy chief of protocol officer Yasemin Heinbecker from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) attended a Russia Day celebration at the embassy in Ottawa on Friday.
The Canadian government has repeatedly condemned Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine – imposing sanctions, sending military equipment to Ukraine, and supporting international efforts to investigate war crimes, in response.
“This is unacceptable. No Canadian representative should have attended the event hosted at the Russian embassy & no Canadian representative will attend this kind of event again. [Canada] continues to stand with [Ukraine] as it fights against Russia’s egregious invasion,” Joly’s tweet reads.
A statement from GAC to CTV News says the decision to send the representative was made by the department and adds that Russian officials will not be invited to Canada Day events.
Ottawa has faced pressure to expel Russia’s ambassador Oleg Stepanov in the wake of the country’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Several European countries have begun the process of removing diplomats.
Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen condemned the attendance of the GAC official at the Russia Day celebration.
“Instead of endorsing the lavish, Kremlin-backed celebration at the Russian embassy, the Liberal government should be working with countries like Egypt, Pakistan and those in Africa to prevent Putin’s illegal war from causing a global food crisis which will hurt developing countries the most,” a statement to CTVNews.ca reads.
