Dauphin's member of Parliament isn't happy with the Prime Minister's statement about Fidel Castro's death.
Prime Minister Trudeau said on Saturday it was with deep sorrow he learned of Castro's death, calling Castro controversial, and referring to his father's friendship with him, as well as the improvements made to education and health care in Cuba under his reign.
Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Robert Sopuck points to Castro's human rights record, and calls the Prime Minister's statement appalling.
"When you look at Castro's record in terms of repression, the jailing of political prisoners, his unrelenting harassment of gays in Cuba, overall Fidel Castro was a brutal, repressive dictator and for our Prime Minister to praise him in my view is nothing short of appalling."
Sopuck also thinks Trudeau's statement will be bad for Canada's relationship with the United States, particularly with the new Trump administration.
"I think this new team that's coming in is not going to look very favourably at what Mr. Trudeau said. Think of Marco Rubio, who's a very powerful Senator now in the new administration."
Rubio, a Cuban American from Miami, asked on Twitter if Trudeau's statement was real or parody, calling it shameful and embarrassing.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since acknowledged Castro was a dictator. He will not be attending today's memorial in Havana, nor Sunday's funeral, with his office saying his schedule doesn't allow for it.
