Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heaped praise on the European Commission and its formidable first female president Friday as he presented Ursula von der Leyen with the judicial equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trudeau made a special one-day trip to the United Nations for the final day of the World Law Congress, where jurists from around the globe gather every two years to extoll the democratic virtues of the rule of law.
Von der Leyen, elected to lead the commission in 2019, couldnB次元官网网址檛 have come along at a better time, Trudeau said, with the executive wing of the European Union confronting fresh instability at home and around the world.
B次元官网网址淏rexit left many wondering if the union would continue to hold strong. Euroskepticism was on the rise. And protectionism and authoritarianism were becoming more prevalent,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.
He didnB次元官网网址檛 name names, but he drew an unmistakable parallel between the forces bent on prying Great Britain free of the European Union and the nationalist urges of former U.S. president Donald Trump.
B次元官网网址淎s choruses like B次元官网网址楢merica FirstB次元官网网址� got louder, both Canada and Europe held fast to our belief that growth doesnB次元官网网址檛 come from putting up walls and turning inwards.B次元官网网址�
Europe knows a thing or two about global instability, he added, having emerged from the bloody cauldron of the Second World War to forge a lasting peace B次元官网网址� one now imperilled by Russian President Vladimir PutinB次元官网网址檚 war in Ukraine.
And he said von der Leyen understands that other threats loom large as well, including the advancing consequences of climate change and authoritarian states that show little interest in restraining their carbon-heavy ambitions.
ItB次元官网网址檚 incumbent on the democracies of the world to defend the rules-based international order by ending their dependence on B次元官网网址渃ommodities weaponized by authoritarian states,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.
That means B次元官网网址渟tanding up to bulliesB次元官网网址� and protecting those unable to protect themselves, ensuring the middle class remains strong and making it impossible for inequality to gain a foothold.
B次元官网网址淭his is a consequential moment, and it calls for thoughtful leadership and strong institutions,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚 cannot think of a better embodiment of those than Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission. You show us how respect for the dignity of all leads to the strength to protect peace, no matter what.B次元官网网址�
Von der Leyen provided a similar history lesson, describing how her late father threw himself into the cause of forging a new, united, peaceful Europe B次元官网网址� one that would include former antagonists like Germany and Italy.
Democratic values and the rule of law are the pillars of such peace, she said, and cannot be allowed to crumble.
B次元官网网址淭he story of our union is one of democracies, young and old, getting stronger together,B次元官网网址� von der Leyen said.
B次元官网网址淭his is EuropeB次元官网网址檚 promise: a united continent where all are equal before the law, with freedom and democracy for all.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau later met one-on-one with von der Leyen for another of the several bilaterals the two leaders have had since 2019, where she thanked the prime minister for his words and his ongoing leadership.
He also ventured to the top floors of the monolithic UN Headquarters, perched majestically on the shores of the East River, to meet with UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres and a phalanx of aides.
Also on hand Friday was Bob Rae, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ambassador to the UN, who honoured former Supreme Court justice Rosie Abella with the World Jurist AssociationB次元官网网址檚 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honor.
Named for the late U.S. Supreme Court justice who became a modern-day feminist icon, the award is bestowed on women whose careers have advanced gender equality, democracy and the rule of law.
