Canada’s Foreign Minister Marc Garneau talks with the Icelandic Foreign Minister (unseen) at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 19, 2021, on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial summit. While on the campaign trail on August 17, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked back comments Garneau […]
Trudeau Walks Back Minister’s Indication That Canada May Recognize Taliban as Afghan Rulers
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked back comments made by his Foreign Affairs Minister a day earlier that said the ruling Liberal Party is open to recognizing the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, but would “have to see how they behave” as a Sept. 20 federal election looms large.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau made the comments to state-run broadcaster Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during an August 16 episode of Power & Politics after being asked if Canada would refuse to recognize the Taliban, “I would say to you that it’s early days. Right now we want to see what happens. The country has essentially surrendered to the Taliban, the Taliban is saying that it wants to run this government but we’re going to wait and see, it’s too early to answer that question”
Foreign Affairs Minister @MarcGarneau says it’s “too early” to say whether the Canadian government will recognize a Taliban government in Afghanistan: “We want to see what happens.” pic.twitter.com/moFGrGtTDC
“We have to see how they behave since they have taken over the country. Certainly, their behaviour was totally unacceptable for the short time that they were in charge as the Russians left about 20 years ago, so we will wait and see.”
The Taliban is listed on the Public Safety Canada (PSC) website as an officially recognized terrorist organization, added in 2013. The government’s description of the Taliban states, “The Taliban’s main objectives are the removal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, and the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan through the overthrow of the current government.”
PSC also says the Taliban, “Is known to attack civilian targets, government compounds, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)/Afghan bases, military targets in built-up urban areas, as well as infrastructure projects…[and] was responsible for the majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan and have been known to carry out a number of attacks on girls’ schools in particular.”
A day later on August 17, Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau, told a press conference on the campaign trail in Markham, Ontario where he promised federal disbursements for childcare that “Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.”
The about-face comes after Trudeau’s primary challenger, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole, issued a press release firmly stating his administration, if elected, would not recognize the Taliban.
