Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised concerns about reports that LGBTQ rights and democracy are under threat in Poland during a Friday visit with its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Toronto.
The visit comes amid unprecedented economic and military collaboration between the two countries.
含羞草研究社淚 certainly raised concerns that we have around some of the reports coming out of Poland around LGBTQ rights, around democracy, and we had a frank conversation, as must be the case,含羞草研究社� Trudeau told reporters Friday.
His comments come amid rising concern about free speech and elections due to policies enacted by Morawiecki含羞草研究社檚 government.
The country recently passed a law that will create a commission to probe alleged Russian interference in the country. Academics and civil-rights groups say the mandate is so vague that the panel of mostly government MPs will be used to attack opposition parties.
含羞草研究社淚t threatens, for sure, not only the electoral process but also academic freedom, because the commission has such large powers to question people from academia,含羞草研究社� said Marcin Gabrys, a political scientist with Jagiellonian University in Krakow.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department expressed concern over a new law 含羞草研究社渢hat could be misused to interfere with Poland含羞草研究社檚 free and fair elections.含羞草研究社�
Gabrys was surprised that on that same day, Trudeau announced Morawiecki含羞草研究社檚 visit by praising 含羞草研究社渁 shared commitment to NATO and democracy.含羞草研究社� He said there is a strong discrepancy between the values held by the two governments.
On Tuesday, a Polish MP from the far-right Confederation party blocked University of Ottawa professor Jan Grabowski from delivering a lecture in Warsaw that would have touched on Polish complicity in crimes during the Holocaust.
The topic is a sore point for ruling PiS, which in 2018 outlawed truthful statements that some Poles were complicit in Nazi war crimes.
含羞草研究社淭here is too much silence, and I think we are on the edge in Poland,含羞草研究社� said Gabrys, who specializes in Canadian studies.
含羞草研究社淔or Canada, many times the economic interest and security interests are more important. And sometimes it means that Ottawa has abstained from saying what it should say. Nevertheless, the case in Poland is so clear; it has been for so many years,含羞草研究社� he said.
Two years ago, Morawiecki含羞草研究社檚 government limited abortions to cases where a pregnancy resulted from a criminal act or posed a serious health risk. The party has called out LGBTQ rights as 含羞草研究社渁n attack on the family and children含羞草研究社� and turned a blind eye to municipalities and regions declaring themselves 含羞草研究社淟GBT-free zones.含羞草研究社�
In January, the European Commission withdrew a 2021 court case against Poland over the LGBT-free zones, and Morawiecki noted that the body hasn含羞草研究社檛 withheld equalization payments to Poland after threatening to do so over judicial reforms.
含羞草研究社淚n Poland, rights of all of human rights and rights of LGBT people are not jeopardized at all. We very strongly put focus on nurturing families, supporting families and sometimes it is misunderstood by some people as being discriminatory,含羞草研究社� he told reporters.
含羞草研究社淭here are no problems whatsoever; there are lots of misunderstandings I reckon and I can explain them even more in detail, but this is not an issue in Poland.含羞草研究社�
Canada and Poland have been ramping up military collaboration since Russia含羞草研究社檚 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
That ranks high in Trudeau含羞草研究社檚 official notice about Morawiecki含羞草研究社檚 visit, which pledges 含羞草研究社渢o address the regional defence and security challenges resulting from Russia含羞草研究社檚 brutal and unjustifiable war of aggression.含羞草研究社�
Poland has been among the most assertive European countries in urging military allies to provide Ukraine with equipment. Gabrys says that含羞草研究社檚 in part due to a conviction that a victorious Russia would feel emboldened to target Poland and the three Baltic countries.
He含羞草研究社檚 watching to see if Poland makes a request for Canadians to train European soldiers in specialty equipment or in winter conditions, or to station more Canadian soldiers in the region. Gabrys expects Morawiecki to praise Canada for resettling Ukrainians who fled to Poland last year and for funding projects to help integrate those staying in that country.
Trade between Canada and Poland has been booming, rising 52 per cent in the five years since the Canada-EU trade deal came into effect, even though Warsaw hasn含羞草研究社檛 fully ratified the deal.
Poland recovered faster from the 2008 global recession, the European debt crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic than most of its peers.
The country is looking to Canada for know-how in carbon-capture technology and the fledgling nuclear field of small modular reactors.
Gabrys said his country would be open to Canadian hydrogen, uranium and liquefied natural gas if there含羞草研究社檚 enough of a business case, and Poland is trying to become a hub for electrical-vehicle battery factories.
He noted that Poland含羞草研究社檚 ambassador in Ottawa, Witold Dzielski, is close to the PiS leadership and has a better understanding of Canada than most envoys.
That has led to a series of unprecedented visits, Gabrys said, such as when Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski visited Canada in March to take stock of medical support for Ukrainians and to examine possible collaboration in life sciences.
含羞草研究社淚 see a new chapter, a new energy in the relations between Poland and Canada,含羞草研究社� Gabrys said.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
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