Trudeau stood up by controversial guest at Chinese New Year event

The challenges of foreign diplomats navigating the diaspora communities and deciding which events to attend and which not, to avoid being seen to favour one side or the other:

While this kind of activity does not constitute any breach of electoral rules, it lives at the complicated intersection of diplomatic protocol and multicultural politics. “That kind of thing is going over the edge,” said Fen Hampson, distinguished fellow and director at CIGI’s Global Security & Politics Program, before Thursday’s no-show. “You’d be seen as courting the opposition, or worse, playing to their electoral song sheet. You can be badly burned if that party doesn’t form a new government and find yourself on the list where calls won’t get answered by a minister if you were seen as dabbling in domestic politics.”

… When asked about how to navigate this zone of pre-election politics, a senior G7 diplomat said that visiting the campaign headquarters wouldn’t be a problem, provided that respects were also paid to the rivals. Going to a fundraiser, on the other hand, crossed the line. Why go if you wouldn’t be contributing financially? “There’s a risk of being seen as being involved with internal politics,” the diplomat said.

Trudeau stood up by controversial guest at Chinese New Year event – The Globe and Mail.