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Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is facing criticism for confiding an apparent admiration for China’s dictatorial tendencies during a “ladies-night” themed fundraiser held in Toronto on Thursday.

During the event, which itself was widely criticized for sexist and patronizing undertones, an audience member asked Mr. Trudeau which nation’s “administration he most admired.”

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The party leader responded: “There is a level of admiration I actually have for China because their basic dictatorship is allowing them to actually turn their economy around on a dime and say we need to go green, we need to start, you know, investing in solar. There is a flexibility that I know Stephen Harper must dream about: having a dictatorship where you can do whatever you wanted, that I find quite interesting.”

Noting he was on camera, Mr. Trudeau then said: “But Sun News can now report that I prefer China.”

And, of course, it did.