Montreal businessman and vocal Assad supporter, Waseem Ramli, has been vetted and approved by Global Affairs Canada to serve the Syrian community in Canada as the Honorary Consul in Montreal.
Ramli's appointment was met with anger and shock by the Syrian community and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
"Neither my team nor I were aware that officials at Global Affairs Canada had approved this appointment,” Freeland said.
The Syrian community says the approval goes against Canada's long-standing isolation policy on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The policy dates back to 2012 when the Harper Government cut diplomatic ties with Syria following Assad's involvement in a massacre that killed 108 civilians in the Syrian town Houla.
"I do think it's important for all Canadians, especially Syrian-Canadians and people who have fled the Assad regime, to know that, in my view, this situation is unacceptable and we will be responding to it promptly," Freeland said.
Although Syria's Embassy in Ottawa was closed in 2012, two consulates, one in Vancouver and the other in Montreal, were left open to help Syrians across the country with any government-related issues.
Both consulates only play an administrative role and not a diplomatic one. Meaning, none of the members have any direct ties to the Syrian government.
The issue most Syrian's have with Ramli's appointment is the fact that he was directly nominated for the position by Assad himself-- a man most Syrian's see as the cause of the ongoing war, and the reason why over 58,000 Syrians fled the country for Canada.
Despite his close ties to Assad, Ramli, in an interview with Maclean's Magazine, said he would treat all Syrians equally and with respect, regardless of their political views.
By: Niza Nondo
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