Prime Minister Mark Carney is defending Canada’s decision to seek closer ties with Turkiye as the country is accused of infringing on LGBTQ2S+ rights.
Carney is in Turkiye for a three-day trip to strike a new strategic partnership for deeper economic and social ties with the NATO ally.
A joint statement released Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Canada and Turkiye have shared values, including “human rights, individual liberties, democracy and the rule of law.”
In recent months, Turkish authorities have targeted multiple LGBTQ2S+ groups and individuals — detaining dozens of activists, breaking into association offices and raiding popular hangouts.
Last month, Canada opted against joining Germany, France and others in condemning Turkiye’s campaign against LGBTQ2S+ organizations.
Canada signed an Oct. 7 statement from the Equal Rights Coalition denouncing the persecution of LGBTQ2S+ groups and the global rise in discriminatory rhetoric. That statement did not mention Turkiye by name.
Carney told reporters in Istanbul on Friday that Canada’s first priority is to protect and promote human rights at home.
“Part of the way we discharge that is to be a truly sovereign nation. Part of the way we become a truly sovereign nation and reinforce our sovereignty is to have a broad range of partnerships around the world,” he said.
Global Affairs Canada’s page on travel risks in Turkiye notes the arrests of LGBTQ2S+ protesters. It states that while the country does not criminalize homosexuality, Canadians may face “discrimination, harassment and violence based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics.”
When asked what message Canadians should take from his government’s new partnership with Turkiye, Carney said “engagement is not approval.” He also said the degree of engagement can depend on the other country’s values.
Carney has pursued deeper ties with other nations accused of human rights abuses over the past year, including Saudi Arabia and China. He argued Friday that being in the room with countries that don’t share Canada’s values is better than being outside.
“Because we’re engaged, we are able to raise directly with the senior authorities in these countries how we view the world and what our expectations are,” Carney said.
The prime minister said Canada raised human rights concerns during bilateral meetings with Turkish officials but would not say whether he spoke to Erdogan directly about the issue. His office says Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand raised human rights in meetings with her counterpart on Thursday.
Carney said his conversations with world leaders work best when they are “direct and open” but not reported broadly in the media.
When asked whether he thought he was legitimizing Erdogan’s actions by engaging with him, Carney said he did not.
Before Carney travelled to Turkiye, experts noted his approach to international diplomacy and social values differs sharply from that of his predecessor Justin Trudeau.
“I just don’t think the Carney government wants to make that a priority in the way that, perhaps, the Trudeau government was a little more willing to see foreign policy as a tool for moralizing their preferred social values,” said Bessma Momani, political science professor at the University of Waterloo.
Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
