Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday responded to a heckler who called his wife a wh**e, during a campaign trail interview.
The exchange occurred in Vancouver where Trudeau was to do a television interview ahead of the September 20 federal election. He met with more angry protesters, including one man who challenged him to a fight and hurled a slur about his wife, Sophie Gregoire.
The man said, "Come on, I'm right here. F***. You f***ing chicken s**t." The man continued: "Where's your wife? I've heard she's a wh**e."
"Isn't there a hospital you should be going to bother right now?" Trudeau snapped back outside the Global News network in Burnaby, British Columbia, reported The Independent.
Trudeau Justifies his Reaction to a Heated Exchange with a Heckler
"I think Canadians know that I've a pretty thick skin. And I am able to take all sorts of different abuse, especially if it means that someone is not somewhere else hassling frontline health workers," Trudeau told reporters.
"But he went after my family. He said hateful, misogynistic things about my wife ... everyone has limits."
Anti-Vaccine Protesters at Few Major Canadians Cities
The verbal exchange was also on the same day as a series of protests were staged outside hospitals and medical centers, including in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Charlottetown, Montreal, Halifax and Ottawa, reported CBC News.
The demonstrations were organized by two Ontario nurses who have promoted conspiracy theories about Covid-19. The organizers also attended rallies in the U.S. for those who think the pandemic is a "fraud."
The protestor started hurling profanities when Trudeau said if reelected, he would make it a criminal offense for protesters to threaten hospital workers or patients or block hospital access as has happened recently. The heckler called Trudeau a communist and looked as though he was begging the prime minister to fight, according to Anadolu Agency.
Coronavirus Deniers Constantly Create Chaos at the PM's Campaign Stops
Trudeau has been heckled repeatedly by people opposed to mandatory Covid vaccinations. His responses to anti-vaccination protesters during the pandemic have ranged from dismissive to sympathetic. During repeated attempts to disrupt his campaign events, Trudeau has responded in his speeches by making a joke or telling them to get vaccinated, according to CBC News.
The country has been divided over the Prime Minister's hard line on vaccinations. His mandatory vaccination policies require public servants, transport workers and travelers to get a Covid shot.
The tone of the campaign is gradually turning more negative ahead of the election that Trudeau called two years early to give voters a chance to pass their verdict on his handling of the pandemic, reported Reuters.
