Trudeau calls for leaders to take united stance after Freeland confronted in Alberta

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for political leaders to take a united stance against threats of violence and intimidation after his deputy was confronted last week in Alberta by a man who repeatedly yelled profanity at her and called her a traitor.

A video circulating online over the weekend shows federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland arriving inside Grande Prairie’s city hall on Friday, and then being confronted by the man while she approached and entered an elevator.

Trudeau addressed the incident on Sunday during an announcement in Ottawa on funding for an action plan to support 2SLGBTQ+ communities. He says what Freeland faced isn’t isolated and is being seen with increasing frequency by people in public life, particularly women and minorities.

The incident has prompted current and former politicians from across the spectrum to denounce the incident and speak out against harassment faced by public figures.

The identity of the man in the video has been circulating widely online, but efforts by The Canadian Press to reach him have been unsuccessful so far.