Back in 2018, amid continuing diplomatic tensions between Canada and Saudi Arabia, Saudi television and social media lit up with accusations about human-rights abuses in Canada. One commentator on Saudi TV called Canada one of the worst oppressors of women in the world. Social media accounts tweeted identical lines about missing women and about Canada committing “cultural genocide” against Indigenous peoples. These were rich accusations coming from a country where women were stoned to death for adultery and sought permission for everyday activities from male guardians, and Canada at the time largely paid no heed.
Less than one year later, however, Ottawa inadvertently validated all of these Saudi claims – and then some.
(Go incognito)
