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NDP says Ottawa appeasing Trump through its silence on global court sanctions

  • Dylan Robertson

  • Canadian Press

  • July 21, 2026

This composite image shows Kimberly Prost, left, a judge on the International Criminal Court, in an undated handout photo, and a view of the International Criminal Court, right, in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout -- International Criminal Court (left), AP-Omar Havana (right)

OTTAWA -- The federal NDP says the Carney government's support for international law is ringing hollow as it keeps silent on Washington's sanctions on a Canadian judge.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he wants to "dismantle" the International Criminal Court and convince allies to leave the organization, which has investigated Americans but has never prosecuted one.

While Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada supports international law and the global court should never be politicized, she has never directly opposed Washington's sanctions on Winnipeg-born ICC judge Kimberly Prost.

Prost is now challenging those sanctions in a New York court and Canada's former ambassador to The Hague has called on Ottawa to submit a brief in support of Prost.

Anand says Canada supports all ICC judges regardless of their nationality and isn't involved in that case.

NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson says Ottawa is appeasing U.S. President Donald Trump by not taking concrete steps to defend international law, such as barring Canadian firms from following the U.S. sanctions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2026.