Justin Trudeau says Syria can now revel in a new chapter, after the Middle Eastern country’s former president fled on Sunday. The Canadian prime minister took to social media, noting Syria will be free of terrorism and suffering after half a century of the Assad family’s rule.
“The fall of Assad’s dictatorship ends decades of brutal oppression. A new chapter for Syria can begin here — one free of terrorism and suffering for the Syrian people,” Trudeau wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Dec. 8.
Trudeau added that Canada is closely “monitoring this transition,” writing in his post that “we urge order, stability, and respect for human rights.”
The fall of Assad’s dictatorship ends decades of brutal oppression. A new chapter for Syria can begin here — one free of terrorism and suffering for the Syrian people. Canada is monitoring this transition closely. We urge order, stability, and respect for human rights.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 8, 2024
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also spoke on the incident on Sunday, telling a news conference that Canada should stay out: “Assad was a puppet for the tyrants of Tehran. He has carried out genocides against the Sunni people in his own country. … We don’t know who will replace him, but I don’t think we should get involved in that mess.”
He added he thinks this isn’t Canada’s “fight,” and that the country should stand with our allies, including Israel. “We should focus on protecting our own country,” he noted.
The Syrian government fell early Sunday, leading to the end of a 50-year rule of the Assad family. A sudden rebel offensive entered the capital of Damascus in 10 days, and a state television broadcast indicated former President Bashar Assad had been overthrown.
A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that Assad and his family fled to Moscow, where Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds.
Since the news broke out, Ottawa has been urging Canadians to avoid all travel to the country, noting people in Syria should “leave now if it’s safe to do so.”
A Canadian travel advisory updated on Sunday told people to avoid Syria “due to ongoing armed conflict, terrorism, criminality, arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearance.” The federal government has urged Canadians to leave Syria since November 2011, and its embassy in Damascus suspended operations in 2012.