Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, Lambasted on Twitter For praising Castro as a "remarkable leader and close friend of his father's".

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire for hailing Fidel Castro as 'larger than life' and a 'legendary revolutionary and orator' after he died on Friday.
Trudeau praised the former Cuban president in a tribute that focused on his family's close ties to Castro and made no mention of his history of ruthless suppression. 'It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba's longest serving President,' Trudeau said in his statement, which was released on Saturday.

'While a controversial figure, both Mr Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for "el Comandante'". Trudeau celebrated Castro's 'significant improvements' to Cuba's education and healthcare systems and said his own father was 'very proud to call him a friend'.

'On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr Castro,' he concluded. 'We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.' Trudeau's father met Castro in 1976, during a controversial trip that took place at the height of the Cold War. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who was the first NATO leader to visit Cuba since 1959, had hoped to open a dialogue with Castro as tensions between the island nation and the US worsened. The Canadian prime minister arrived with his wife Margaret and youngest son Michel in tow and Castro reportedly melted at the sight of their newborn.

'I met that little baby when he came here when he wasn't even four months old, and he won everyone's heart,' Castro told the CBC in 2000. That set the tone for the rest of the visit as Pierre and Castro, much to everyone's surprise, became instant friends. Pierre stayed for three days, at one point even exclaiming 'Viva Castro!.'The two leaders' remained close longer after Pierre retired from politics and their friendship 'persisted into the 1990s', Professor Robin Wright told Macleans.

'They became, as it were, the best of friends very serious ideological disagreements notwithstanding,' Wright said. When the elder Trudeau passed away in 2000, Castro dropped everything to attend his funeral in Montreal.Castro was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral and met Justin, then 29, and his younger brother Alexandre.

Following his father's footsteps, Trudeau visited Cuba just a week before Castro's death. Although he did not meet the revolutionary, Trudeau and his wife Sophie attended an official dinner organized by Castro's brother Raul, Cuba's current president. Trudeau was also introduced to Castro's three sons and said in his statement that it was an 'honor' to meet them during his visit to Cuba.

Despite the deep family ties, a number of Americans found Trudeau's statement to be on the wrong side of history. 

Capture of Twitter Reactions Below:

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is Cuban-American, was quick to criticize Trudeau on Saturday morning.  'Is this a real statement or a parody? Because if this is a real statement from the PM of Canada it is shameful & embarrassing,' Rubio tweeted. 

Fellow Cuban-American Sen. Ted Cruz called Trudeau's statement 'disgraceful'.

'Why do young socialists idolize totalitarian tyrants?' he tweeted. 'Castro, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot - all evil, torturing murderers.' The statement seemed to spark an end to the internet's long-burning love affair with Trudeau after he was elected last year.

Some on Twitter turned their confusion over his praise for Castro into comedy, poking fun at the prime minister by writing similarly positive statements for other deceased dictators - both real and fictional - under the hashtag #TrudeauEulogies.

'While controversial, Darth Vader achieved great heights in space construction & played a formative role in his son's life,' quipped Jason Markusoff. 

'While a controversial figure, John Wilkes Boothe will be remembered as a lover of the theatre,' wrote Mark Johnson. 

'It's with a heavy heart I say goodbye to the black plague,' joked Ted Laking. 'Thank you for teaching us to wash our hands, old friend.'