Freeland blasts Canadian funds going to Russians at War doc: Not right [Video]

Liberal MPs, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, are criticizing the use of public funds for a controversial documentary depicting Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine that has been called “Russian propaganda.”

The film, Russians at War, is having its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday. It was helmed by a Russian Canadian director and was funded by Canadian public broadcasters — in part through government grants — and an Oscar-nominated Canadian producer.

A protest organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress was held outside Tuesday afternoon’s screening at the Scotiabank Theatre after festival organizers declined calls to pull the film from its lineup. Ukraine’s consul general in Toronto and the country’s foreign ministry have also spoken out against the film.

Freeland, a Ukrainian Canadian and a staunch critic of Russia’s invasion, took a moment to comment on the film after taking questions from reporters outside the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., Tuesday morning.

“Ukrainian diplomats and …