Tipsheet

Canadian Conservatives Vote Against Ukraine Bill. Here's Who Trudeau Is Blaming.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed MAGA thinking for the Conservative Party’s decision to vote against an update to the Canada Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.  

“It is particularly troubling to see — even though we are seeing a rise of right-wing rhetoric in the United States with MAGA conservatives, across Europe, in certain corners of right-wing politicians and parties — starting to pull their support for Ukraine,” he said Friday during a press conference. “Starting to parrot Russian disinformation and misinformation and propaganda." 

He rejected the explanation offered by Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre that the reason the party voted unanimously against the agreement was over concerns about carbon tax wording.

"We voted against Justin Trudeau forcing a carbon tax into that pre-existing agreement. Conservatives understand how devastating the carbon tax has been for Canadians," Poilievre said. "It's caused two million people to go to a food bank every single month, seven million Canadians not eating enough to stay healthy."

Trudeau said that reason was “absurd.” 

"The real story is the rise of a right-wing, American MAGA-influenced thinking that has made Canadian Conservatives — who used to be among the strongest defenders of Ukraine, I'll admit it — turn their backs on something Ukraine needs in its hour of need," Trudeau argued.

"That is the danger of the rise of the right-wing influence that is feeling its impact in Canada. That's what not just Ukrainian Canadians but all Canadians should be concerned about,” he added. “When the Conservative Party of Canada and Pierre Poilievre turn their backs on history, turn their backs on our friends and allies, turn their backs on the international rules-based order and our support for the UN Charter and territorial Integrity. It is of real concern and should be of concern to all of us, because we're seeing that spiking up all around the world.”