OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney's claim that Canada does not have a "feminist foreign policy" spilled into the political arena Monday, drawing both criticism and praise.

"Prime Minister Carney is making it very clear he is no friend to women and he is no friend to gender equality in this country," NDP MP Leah Gazan told reporters Monday.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet asked in Monday's question period whether Carney's comments mean the federal government will continue to promote gender equality, which he described as a "Quebec value."

"I learned with shock that during his trip to the United Arab Emirates, the prime minister of Canada gave up on the idea that Canadian diplomacy and international relations are feminist," Blanchet said in French.

Liberal MP Mona Fortier, parliamen

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