In an interview with France 24 and RFI, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne, explains that his country was "horrified" by the images of the murder of George Floyd in the United States. He welcomes the fact that this has caused a global surge.

"Canadians were horrified to see the images of George Floyd on the ground with this policeman's knee. I think these images have galvanized the world," said François-Philippe Champagne on France 24 et RFI. "There is systemic racism even in Canada (…), a multicultural, very inclusive country, where diversity is one of Canada's great riches. We realize that there is still systemic racism here. and I think the big message is that we must not only decry racism, but act. "

According to him, the Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau is convinced of the need not only to denounce racism, but also to act. The latter, had participated Friday June 5 in a demonstration in Ottawa, putting a knee on the ground during the 8 minutes 46 seconds that lasted the ordeal of George Floyd.

To see: "Asked about Trump, Justin Trudeau remains silent then claims to follow with" horror "the situation in the United States"

Concerning tensions with China, following the arrest in Canada of a Huawei company executive requested by the United States, François-Philippe Champagne affirms that the extradition procedure continues, respecting the separation of powers. He also denounces the "arbitrary" treatment inflicted on two Canadian citizens detained in China for more than 500 days, in violation of the rule of law, and calls on "not to draw a parallel between the two cases".

"Reinventing multilateralism"

As for the decision on the allocation of a 5G license to Huawei, the Canadian diplomat says that the government is actively working on it and that the first criterion must be security. He says he hopes for a "quick and thoughtful" decision.

While with the coronavirus pandemic, all countries have gradually turned in on themselves, he believes that we must "reinvent multilateralism, which is part of Canada's DNA", so that it responds to the aspirations of young people in particular.

Finally, François-Philippe Champagne explains that his country, which is a candidate for a post of non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations this month, has many assets to revive multilaterism, by being particularly concerned with the consequences of the health and economic crisis in the poorest countries, especially in Africa. 

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