Trudeau, Canadian lawmakers denounce Putin after Navalny’s death

Canadian lawmakers are denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government following the announcement that prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny had died while serving his sentence in a prison in the Arctic Circle.

“The death of Alexei Navalny has us all reeling,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview Friday with CBC News in Winnipeg. “It’s something that has the entire world being reminded of exactly what a monster Putin is.”

Trudeau said “there is no question that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin, he stood up to the Kremlin. He stood for freedom and democracy and the right of the Russian people to choose their future, and that was something that Putin was deeply afraid of, as he should be.”

The prime minister added that Navalny’s death redoubles the resolve of Canada and other Western nations to stand up to Putin’s human rights and international law abuses.

In a social media post, Trudeau said Navalny’s courage was unparalleled as he sent his condolences to Navalny’s family and supporters.

“To be clear: He should never have been imprisoned to begin with. Let this be an important reminder that we must continue to promote, protect and defend democracy everywhere. The consequences of not doing so are stark,” Trudeau wrote on X.

Navalny, 47, was arrested by Russian authorities in 2021 upon his return to the country after spending five months in Germany recovering from a nerve agent poisoning. He was accused and convicted in a series of cases involving charges of embezzlement, fraud and extremism.

Action of ‘pariah state’: Chong

The opposition figure’s death was announced on Friday by the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets region, where Navalny had been serving his sentences.

Prison authorities said Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday and “almost immediately lost consciousness.”

The statement said medical staff had been called, but they were unable to resuscitate him. The authorities said the cause of death was being established.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly echoed the prime minister’s comments.

“Alexei Navalny gave his freedom in the hopes of a better, more democratic future for the Russian people. Reports of his death are a painful reminder of Putin’s continued oppressive regime,” Joly wrote on social media. “My thoughts are with his wife, Yulia, his family, and his loved ones.” 

Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae placed the blame for Navalny’s death on the Russian president.

“Putin murdered Navalny just as surely as if he’d strangled him with his bare hands,” Rae wrote on X.

Asked for comment on the reports of Navalny’s death, a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre referred CBC News to a post on X by Michael Chong, the party’s foreign affairs critic.

Chong wrote that Navalny was imprisoned for simply being an opposition leader.

“Conservatives condemn Putin and the Russian Federation for his death. This is not the hallmark of a great power but of a pariah state,” Chong said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he was saddened by reports of the opposition figure’s death.

“Navalny’s important work exposed corruption by Putin’s oligarchs and he was killed for it,” Singh wrote on social media. “My thoughts are with his loved ones and with all political prisoners targeted by Putin.”

NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson says she was horrified by reports of Navalny’s death.

“He bravely exposed the corruption and greed of Putin and his oligarchs and was poisoned and killed for it. His death is on Putin’s hands,” McPherson wrote on social media. “My condolences to the Russian people and all those who loved Mr. Navalny.”

Navalny: If they kill me, don’t give up

In the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny, the opposition figure delivered a message to his followers in the event he was killed by Russian authorities.

“You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong,” Navalny said, speaking in Russian.

“We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive,” said Navalny.

The opposition figure returned to Russia shortly after delivering those remarks. He was arrested by Russian authorities immediately upon landing in Moscow in 2021.