Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Canadians won't be fooled by Putin propaganda on Ukraine, Trudeau says

Share
OTTAWA -

Canadians are too smart to fall for Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.

Trudeau made the remark after he was asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent interview with Tucker Carlson.

In it, Putin mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for taking part in a tribute on Parliament Hill that included a veteran with Nazi ties.

Canada made international headlines last fall for accidentally inviting Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian-born Canadian who fought with an SS unit during the Second World War, to Parliament and then giving him a standing ovation.

"The president of Ukraine stood up with the entire Parliament of Canada and applauded this man. How can this be imagined?" Putin said through a translator in an interview shared Thursday evening.

Putin has claimed that he invaded Ukraine to defeat neo-Nazis -- something Western counties have dismissed as propaganda.

Trudeau told reporters on Friday Putin will use "whatever propaganda he can" to try and justify the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"But I can tell you, Canadians will not be fooled," he said at a news conference in King City, Ont.

"Canada stands with Ukraine, not just because we are friends to Ukraine, but because the rules-based order and the system of laws and the UN Charter protect all of us, not just Ukrainians."

He added his government will continue to support Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, we see the lengths to which Russian propaganda will go to try and impact public opinion, to try and twist things."

For weeks, Trudeau has slammed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and singled out many of his members of Parliament for voting against an updated free trade agreement with Ukraine.

Poilievre says while his party supports Ukraine's in the war against Russia, it opposes consumer carbon prices and stands against the revised agreement because the text mentions that both Ukraine and Canada agree to "promote carbon pricing." Ukraine has had a price on carbon for years.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress was among the groups to voice their disappointment over the Tories' position.

Trudeau accused Poilievre of mimicking the position of some U.S Republicans, who are signalling less support for assisting the Ukrainian war effort.

Poilievre has pushed back against that accusation. Some of his MPs have begun calling on the Liberals to send more weapons to Ukraine after they began voting against the free-trade bill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2024.

-- With files from The Associated Press

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected