Raif Badawi and Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil

Badawi: Quebec politicians brushed off the comments Wednesday and said they remain committed to Badawi being reunited with his relatives in Quebec, according to The Waterloo Record. Badawi, 32, is not a Canadian citizen, but his wife and children fled Saudi Arabia in 2012 and settled in Sherbrooke in 2013. Naif Bin Bandir AlSudairy sent a letter to the Speaker of the national assembly last month regarding Raif Badawi, expressing his government "strong surprise and dismay" at what is being said and written about the case. Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said her government will continue to champion Badawi cause as well as challenge other human rights abuses around the world. "We want Raif Badawi to be released from prison and to be able to come here and live with his wife and his children," Weil said. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and fined for criticizing Saudi Arabian clerics. The March 10 letter, which was also sent to the federal government, is critical of attacks by media and international agencies on Saudi Arabia human rights record. " does not accept any form of interference in its internal affairs and rejects the encroachment on its sovereign right or the compromising of its judiciary independence and integrity," the ambassador wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.