The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau has in strong terms, condemned an abusive verbal attack on his deputy prime minister and finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, describing it as an “extremely disturbing harassment” that was not an isolated incident.
In his public statement, Trudeau said “We are seeing increasingly people in public life and people in positions of responsibility, particularly women, racialized Canadians, people of minority or different community groups, being targeted almost because of the increasing strength of your voices.
“We are seeing a backlash…. We have to ask ourselves what kind of country we are, what kind of country we want to be.”
In the video of the incident shared on Twitter late, Freeland was seen approaching the elevator of a city hall building in Grande Prairie, Alberta, when one man shouted at her.
As Freeland walked toward and into the elevator, the man said “What the fuck are you doing in Alberta?”. He also called her a “traitor” and a “fucking bitch.”
It is germane to note that Freeland was born in Alberta and was on a tour of the province to meet with officials, businesses and workers.
Acknowledging the incident, Freeland in a tweet post, wrote “What happened yesterday was wrong. Nobody, anywhere, should have to put up with threats and intimidation”.
Several Canadian politicians across the political spectrum also condemned the verbal attack.
Sadly, the incident was the latest among a series of verbal attacks against women in public life in Canada, including activists and journalists.
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