It didn't take long for Fidel Castro's passing to become a hot political issue in Canada.

Following the death of the former Cuban president, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement expressing his "deep sorrow" for the loss of this "remarkable leader".

“Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century," Trudeau said. "A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation. While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for 'el Comandante'."

Trudeau added that his father Pierre "was very proud to call him a friend".

That prompted the following blast from Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, who's one of 12 candidates for her party's leadership:

"While Cuban patriots flood the streets of Miami in celebration, Justin Trudeau has issued a statement of 'deep sorrow', calling Fidel Castro a 'larger-than-life figure' and 'legendary revolutionary' with 'many supporters'. With those words, Justin Trudeau has placed himself on the wrong side of history—against the millions of Cubans yearning for freedom," Raitt wrote on Facebook. "The Prime Minister should be ashamed of himself. He must retract this statement and apologize."

The former cabinet minister in the Stephen Harper government described Castro as a "murderous dictator".

"He ruled Cuba with an iron fist for decades," Raitt added. "He trapped the Cuban people in poverty while silencing dissent and arresting dissenters. His vision of totalitarian communism is a relic of the Cold War that must be tossed in the dustbin of history. Canada expects better from its prime minister than affection for tyrants. The Conservative Party I lead will always stand on the side of freedom-loving people around the world—not their oppressors."

When Castro stepped down as president eight years ago, one of his Vancouver supporters, former councillor Tim Louis, praised him for "showing a complete lack of personal arrogance".

"There are many different explanations as to why socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern European states failed and Cuba’s socialist system has survived," Louis wrote at the time. "I have always been attracted by one reason in particular—Fidel’s belief that it is not sufficient to simply socialize the means of production. There must also be a commitment to a new level of morality—a commitment to a set of values and moral principles which underlie the daily living conditions in a society: selflessness, internationalism and the rejection of commercialism."

Castro certainly was a polarizing figure, not only in Miami and Havana but also in Canada.

Then there's the view of self-described bike riding pinko Fern Hill, which you can see below:

https://twitter.com/fernhilldammit/status/802607855673163776

Today, the hashtag #trudeaueulogies has been trending on Twitter. While most of those posting are ridiculing the prime minister, Vancouver activist Derrick O'Keefe pointed out that former prime minister Stephen Harper delivered a glowing eulogy about former Saudi Arabian leader King Abdullah.

https://twitter.com/derrickokeefe/status/802573398333194240

Abdullah's regime was widely condemned for routinely beheading people convicted of crimes.