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Canada silent on Polish democratic backslide as prime minister visits Ottawa

A Polish MP from the far-right Confederation party blocked Ottawa professor from delivering a lecture in Warsaw
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Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks during a media conference during the European Political Community Summit at the Mimi Castle in Bulboaca, Moldova, Thursday, June 1, 2023. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is welcoming Morawiecki to Ottawa Friday, June 2, 2023, as Canada increases economic and military ties but keeps quiet on democratic backsliding. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andreea Alexandru

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is welcoming Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to Canada Friday (June 2) as the federal Liberals keep quiet about a democratic backslide in his country.

“There is too much silence, and I think we are on the edge in Poland,” said Marcin Gabrys, a political scientist with Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

“How can you have a shared commitment to democracy when there is a clear threat to the electoral process?”

Gabrys, who specializes in Canadian studies, said Canada and Poland have been undertaking an unprecedented amount of collaboration since the ruling Law and Justice party, locally known as PiS, took power in 2015.

Yet

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