Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on politicians to unite and come out publicly against harassment and bullying on Sunday, days after his deputy premier came under fire in Alberta.
Posted at 9:20 p.m.
A 14-second video was shared on Twitter on Friday by an account of a group opposing public health restrictions aimed at combating COVID-19. We see the Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, entering an elevator when a burly man approaches her to shout swear words and insult her.
On Sunday, Mr. Trudeau reacted to this incident on the sidelines of an announcement aimed at supporting LGBTQ + communities. He notably recalled that the event involving his Deputy Prime Minister is not isolated and is occurring more and more often within the political class.
Mr. Trudeau added that women and elected officials from diverse backgrounds are even more often targeted by this type of attack.
Following the release of the video, many politicians, both colleagues and opponents, offered their support to Mr.me Freeland on social media, in addition to speaking out more broadly against harassment of public figures.
The identity of the man in the video is circulating on social media, but he did not respond to interview requests from The Canadian Press.