OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says he's concerned about what Russia's new anti-gay law will mean for Canadian athletes and spectators at the Winter Games in Sochi.
"We are concerned, obviously, about Canadian athletes and other participants, spectators and attendees of the Olympics there," Baird said Friday during a conference call with journalists.
"But we should be very clear: they're only going to be there two or three weeks. The people of Russia will have to deal with this law 365 days of the year, every year. Let's hope that decency will prevail."
The controversial law bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" and imposes fines on people who stage gay pride rallies.
There have been calls for protests, a boycott and petitions to move the Games to Vancouver, where they were staged in 2010.
Baird, who is in Brazil on trade talks, says the furor over the law is a chance to put President Vladimir Putin's Russia under the microscope.
"We've got an important opportunity for the free world to be able to focus on what's happening in Russia in the recent weeks and months, and hopefully that can yield a change."
The foreign affairs minister also says he was pleased that the International Olympic Committee asked the Russian government to clarify parts of the law.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said Russia provided written re-assurances about the law on Thursday, but some parts remain unclear.
"We are waiting for the clarifications before having the final judgment on these reassurances," Rogge said.
Russia's sports minister has said Olympians must respect the country's laws during the Sochi Games. He also said Russia will not change the law.
However, the Russian government says it will respect the private lives of Olympic athletes.
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