Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his desire for closer relations between right-leaning political parties, including the Conservative Party of Canada, and the Hungarian government led by Prime Minister , despite accusations of democratic backsliding.
Harper, who chairs the International Democrat Union (IDU), a global alliance of right-leaning parties that includes Canada’s Conservatives and Orban’s Fidesz Party, met with Orban in Budapest. Harper took to Twitter to state that they discussed “the importance of centre-right parties strengthening their collaboration.”
Critics, including Human Rights Watch, have accused Orban’s government of undermining the rule of law, interfering with judicial independence, and surveilling journalists. The European Court of Justice has repeatedly ruled that Orban is violating EU migration laws with his policies that are hostile to asylum claimants.
The Conservative Party of Canada and the office of current leader Pierre Poilievre have been approached for comment on whether Ottawa should have stronger ties with Orban’s government.
In addition to his meeting with Orban, Harper also met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, as she leads a bloc of conservative European parties.
Harper’s engagement with Orban and Meloni has drawn criticism in the past. In 2018, Harper faced backlash from international relations experts and the Liberal government when he congratulated Orban on his re-election.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group in the United States Congress has been working on a bill to impose further sanctions on individuals close to Orban who are accused of corruption, in addition to existing sanctions in place since 2014.