On Monday, the Saudi government responded by expelling the Canadian ambassador to Riyadh, Dennis Horak, recalling the Saudi ambassador to Ottawa and freezing all new trade and investment deals with Canada. It also said it would transfer thousands of Saudi students who were studying in Canada to schools in other countries.

The unusually strong reaction shows that Saudi Arabia, under the day-to-day leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is willing to wield its wealth to deter Western countries from criticizing how its absolute monarchy is run.

Prince Mohammed, who has emerged as the kingdom’s most dynamic official since his father, King Salman, assumed the throne in 2015, has made similar moves against Sweden and Germany in response to criticism.

For now, both Saudi Arabia and Canada appear to be sticking to their positions.

Asked Wednesday if his government would consider an apology to Saudi Arabia to smooth things over, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Canadians have always expected our government to speak strongly, firmly, clearly and politely about the need to respect human rights at home and around the world. We will continue to do that.”

In Riyadh, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters that mediation in the dispute was not possible and that Canada needed to “fix its big mistake.” He said: “There is nothing to mediate. A mistake has been made and a mistake should be corrected.”