Justin Trudeau On Castro's Death

Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau has found himself in some hot water over his remarks concerning Castro's death.

Click here for an article at CBC News, by , entitled "Fidal Castro was a dictator, Trudeau says."

Trudeau's original official statement was as follows:

“It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President.

“Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation.

“While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for “el Comandante”.

“I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba.

“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”

Responding to his critics:

"There are people who have many memories and who experienced a great deal of difficulty because of what happened in Cuba, and I am not minimizing any of that," Trudeau said.

He went on to say:

"The fact is Fidel Castro had a deep and lasting impact on the Cuban people. He certainly was a polarizing figure and there certainly were concerns around human rights. That's something that I'm open about and that I've highlighted," he added.

"But on the passing of his death I expressed a statement that highlighted the deep connection between the people of Canada and the people of Cuba."​

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard:

"Yes, his accomplishments will be in various tones of grey — some white, some black — but historians will have to decide this," Couillard told reporters Sunday. "I see no controversy in describing him as a giant of the 20th century."

There's a history with Castro in the Trudeau family; Justin's father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, was the first Western leader to visit Castro in Cuba in 1976. Detractors claimed this gave Castro undeserved legitimacy.The article says:

The two leaders developed a close bond that would last for decades after that encounter. Castro was said to be devastated when Justin Trudeau's brother Michel died in an avalanche in 1998, and he made the trip to Montreal for the elder Trudeau's state funeral.

Canada has always maintained diplomatic relations with Cuba throughout the U.S's decades-long economic embargo and political isolation policies towards the country.

Canada recently helped facilitate discussions between the two countries that led to the easing of some of those restrictions.