When Justin Trudeau “let out his inner Sarah Palin” (as Thomas Mulcair put it) and voiced his admiration for China’s “basic dictatorship”—at a frothy Ladies Only Night, no less—the Chinese Canadian community was not impressed.

The Canadian Federation for a Democratic China, an organization that has been fighting for democracy in China for years, with many of its members having been imprisoned and tortured for speaking out against the Chinese government, described Justin’s comments as “foolish.” With considerable understatement, they also pointed out (to no one’s real surprise), “It seems to be that he’s not well-informed.”