With files from The Canadian Press
Canada's foreign affairs minister said she is "shocked" that a sympathizer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was approved as Syria's honorary consul in Montreal and intends to look into the situation.
Waseem Ramli, a Montreal businessman and outspoken supporter of al-Assad, was nominated for the post this summer and approved last month by Global Affairs Canada. The role means he will exert control over matters concerning the Syrian diaspora in eastern Canada and in much of the United States.
Syrian Montrealers say Ramli is a familiar figure to them, some saying he conjures fear and apprehension in their community. He is often seen driving his Humvee decorated with the colours of Syria and a picture of al-Assad, whose regime has been accused of war crimes.
"For me, I have not seen any wrongdoing from my president towards the country," Ramli said in a phone interview with CTV News Montreal.
Ramli, whose profile picture on Facebook shows him with al-Assad, doesn't believe the president's regime used chemical weapons on his own people.
Freeland 'shocked' by comments
In a report by Macleans, Ramli described the White Helmets, a volunteer group of first responders and war crime monitors supported by the federal government, as a "terrorist organization" that supports al Qaida.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said on social media that she was "shocked" by Ramli's comments and the views "he has espoused publicly on social media and elsewhere."
She said neither she nor her team were aware that Global Affairs officials had approved his appointment. She has asked the department to look into it immediately.
Ramli will officially take on the post next month.
"I learned about my appointment from my Syrian government," said Ramli.
He was appointed days after he attended a Liberal fundraiser. While there, he was photographed with Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and Marc Miller, the incumbent candidate in the Montreal riding of Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Ile-des-Sœurs.
Syrian Montrealers frustrated
Ramli's appointment shocked many in the Syrian community, including one woman who works with Syrian refugees. She asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns.
"We fled to Canada and now Canada is showing that (it is) a supporter of that person who is presenting openly and defending, openly, the butcher," she said.
She believes Canada should reject his nomination.
"We are frustrated… We know that anyone in this position must and should be pro-regime, but someone that bad? And supported by Mr. Trudeau?"
Ramli said he has the right to his political opinions and contends he has the support from Syrian Montrealers he has helped in the past.
