The Opposition New Democrats are calling on the Canadian government to make clear its position on Russia's recent anti-gay laws, in light of growing calls by activists to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

"I don't think [Foreign Affairs Minister John] Baird has been strong enough in his concern or been declarative enough of the government's position against the laws that have recently been passed in Russia," said Paul Dewar, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, in a telephone interview with CBC News on Tuesday.

"We haven't heard anything directly from Minister Baird," Dewar said.

Baird is on a seven-country visit of South America and was not available for an interview with CBC News.

In a written statement to CBC News, Rick Roth, Baird's press secretary, said "this latest development in Russia is extremely troubling and Canada has raised its concerns directly with Russian authorities."

"Canada follows the human rights situation in Russia closely and the promotion of Canadian values has and will continue to feature prominently in our ongoing dialogue," Roth said.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/ndp-wants-tougher-stance-russia-no-sochi-boycott-085015839.html