Canada decries official's visit to Russian embassy event

It was "unacceptable" for a Canadian official to have attended Russia Day celebrations at the country's embassy in Canada, foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly said on Sunday. A deputy protocol chief in Canada's global affairs department, Yasemin Heinbecker, attended Friday's event, along with representatives of Egypt, Pakistan and some African nations, the Globe and Mail newspaper said in a report https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canadian-representative-attends-russian-embassy-party-in-ottawa.

"No Canadian representative should have attended the event hosted at the Russian embassy and no Canadian representative will attend this kind of event again," Joly said in a Twitter post https://twitter.com/melaniejoly/status/1536131636961722374?s=21&t=FypzsJwyStxDb_TvyNJNdg. Joly also reiterated Canada's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Since the conflict began on Feb. 24, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 individuals and bodies with ties to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.