It was “absolutely unacceptable” that a Canadian representative attended a party at the Russian embassy in Ottawa last week, Prime Minister Justin Trinto said on Tuesday. “It should never have happened and we denounce it diligently,” Trinto said during a question-and-answer session in the House of Commons when he was pressured by caretaker Conservative leader Candice Bergen. The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday that Yasemin Heinbecker, the deputy chief of protocol at Global Affairs Canada, had attended a party at the embassy last Friday to mark Russia Day. Russia Day, which is celebrated every year on June 12, is the national holiday of the Russian Federation. It marks the adoption of a 1990 declaration that sparked constitutional reforms and, finally, the end of the Soviet era. Bergen asked the prime minister on Tuesday why a pro-Ukrainian government would send a spokesman “to the house of her enemy to enjoy champagne and caviar”. Bergen said she hoped Trinto would apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trinto said he spoke by telephone with Zelensky for 45 minutes on Tuesday about Canada’s support for the war-torn country invaded by Russia in February. “President Zelenskyy and I had a very positive conversation where this issue was not raised, because obviously there are much more important issues,” he said. On Monday, Secretary of State Melanie Jolie told the House of Commons she was angry with the party and her department apologized. She told reporters Tuesday that she did not know Heinbecker had attended the party in advance and did not ask her office for an explanation as to why it was approved, because “I would never have approved it, so there is no explanation”. Jolie said she had a “tough conversation” with her staff and deputy minister on Monday, and that she also spoke with her Ukrainian counterpart. In a tweet posted Saturday, the Russian Embassy in Canada said the event was attended by Russian and Canadian media, “representatives of Canadian society” and Global Affairs Canada. He also said that Oleg Stepanov, Russia’s ambassador to Canada, had given a speech, noting that June 12 also marks the 80th anniversary of Russia-Canada diplomatic relations. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 14, 2022.
