Another incident involving a federal minister occurred on Friday noon, when the Minister of Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, was arrested in the middle of a press conference in Montreal by a man who made remarks on the risk of a nuclear war and a Third World War.
Posted at 1:38 p.m.
The man interrupted the minister, who had just begun his speech on aid to the cultural community.
The man then rose to insistently ask the minister what he thought of the risk of nuclear war, of Russia, of Ukraine and of the risk of a third world war.
An employee on site attempted to calmly push the man out, but he resisted, continuing to shout his war rhetoric. Other people had to join in for the man to end up being escorted outside.
Minister Rodriguez continued to deliver his speech, as best he could, but visibly distraught by the incident.
Asked about this, the minister assured that he “did not feel threatened”, even if there was no bodyguard.
He then linked to a bill he is drafting on social media misinformation, online hate “that doesn’t stay online and take to our streets.”
At the end of August, Deputy Premier Chrystia Freeland was the victim of a man who approached her to hurl swear words and insults at her in Alberta.