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Mr Trudeau’s comments come days after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic relations with Canada and expelled the Canadian Ambassador following a series of tweets from the Canadian government, which criticised the arrest of certain social activists in the Gulf kingdom.

The tweets have instigated a diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and Canada, spearheaded by Canada’s censure of the kingdom’s human rights record.

The feud, which has resulted in the suspension of direct Saudi flights to Canada, is showing no signs of easing following a quarrel that was exacerbated by Canada’s foreign minister’s criticism of the recent arrests of 11 prominent human rights activists in Saudi Arabia.

When asked about the diplomatic dispute on Monday, Mr Trudeau said: “We continue to engage diplomatically, but as I’ve said, Canada will always be very clear on standing up for human rights.”