Canada and Saudi Arabia are normalizing diplomatic relations and appointing ambassadors five years after the Liberal government’s public comments on women’s rights led Riyadh to expel the Canadian ambassador. In 2018 Global Affairs Canada tweeted that it wanted Saudi Arabia to “immediately release” human rights activists. Both countries maintained their embassies but Saudi Arabia downgraded…

Ottawa is accusing a Chinese diplomat of targeting a Canadian lawmaker who’s critical of China’s human rights records. Beijing retaliated, ousting a Canadian diplomat. The two nations have clashed since the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018, and Beijing’s subsequent arrest of two Canadians on espionage charges. Topics in this episode: China Expels…

Russia has summoned a senior Canadian diplomat in Moscow over Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly’s musings about “regime change.” According to state media, Moscow summoned Canadian chargé d’affaires Brian Ebel on Monday to tell him the comments were unacceptable. Joly said earlier this month that western sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are having…

BEIJING—Chinese authorities refused to let Canadian diplomats attend the trial of a Chinese-born Canadian tycoon who disappeared from Hong Kong five years ago, Canada’s government said Tuesday. Xiao Jianhua was last seen at a Hong Kong hotel in January 2017 and was believed to have been taken to the mainland by Chinese authorities. He was…