Canada is "disappointed in the extreme" by the United Nations' failure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Saturday.
Reaction from Canada was swift and condemning after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Saturday calling on Assad to step down amid a violent crackdown in Syria.
All 13 other Security Council members, including the United States, voted in favour of the resolution.
"Today's failure by the UN Security Council to effectively deal with the crisis in Syria is yet another free pass for the illegitimate Assad regime and those backing it," Baird said in a statement.
"This paralysis of power is particularly deplorable given the reported upsurge in violence overnight in Homs, which we condemn without reservation," he said, calling Assad's regime "morally bankrupt."
More than 200 people were reportedly killed in the western Syrian city of Homs after security forces fired mortars and artillery rounds on activists. It was the bloodiest explosion of violence in the country since the revolt against Assad and his government began a year ago.
Western and Arab countries have been demanding that Assad hand over power to his vice-president.
The New Democrats condemned the violence in Homs Saturday and called on the government to immediately recall Canada's ambassador in Syria.
Canada should also "exert diplomatic pressure on China and particularly Russia in order to secure a UN resolution on the crisis," the NDP said in a statement while expressing "solidarity" with Syrians.
Assad "has lost all legitimacy," Liberal foreign affairs critic Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement.
"The international community has an obligation to stand up for the people of Syria, and we must do what we can to help bring about a peaceful political transition," LeBlanc said.
Syrian embassy in Ottawa vandalized
Meanwhile, the RCMP are investigating after the Syrian embassy in Ottawa was splashed with red paint Saturday.
RCMP Const. Julie Morel said the embassy's front door, sign and canopy were splattered with bright red paint.
Police say there seems to be no link between the apparent act of vandalism and an earlier, peaceful anti-Syrian government protest in front of the embassy.
With files from The Canadian Press
