Watch: Canadian Opposition Leader Calls Trudeau ‘Wacko PM’

shankhyaneel sarkar shankhyaneel sarkar | 05-01 16:00

The leader of Canada’s main opposition party was ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a wacko”, in the latest clash between two men set to fight an election next year.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was just kicked out of Parliament for calling Trudeau a wacko and an extremist. pic.twitter.com/LuDleVti7n— Billboard Chris (@BillboardChris) April 30, 2024

The official opposition right-of-center Conservatives are well ahead in the polls. The incident started when party leader Pierre Poilievre criticised what he called Trudeau’s refusal to crack down on drug overdoses.

BREAKING: Today the Liberal speaker censored me for describing Trudeau's hard drug policy as wacko.6 people dying from overdoses every day in BC is wacko.

Kids playing next to used syringes is wacko.

Nurses worried about breastfeeding after breathing in toxic drug fumes is…

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 30, 2024

“When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?” he asked Trudeau in the House of Commons elected lower chamber.

Speaker Greg Fergus, a Liberal, told Poilievre the comment was both unparliamentary and unacceptable and asked him four times to withdraw it. Poilievre declined on each occasion, saying instead he would use the word extremist or radical.

Fergus told Poilievre he was disregarding the speaker’s authority and, in an unusual move, said: “I order to you to withdraw from the House … for the remainder of this day’s sitting.”

Poilievre, who left the chamber with his legislators, later repeated his attack on Trudeau’s stance on drugs.

“This is a wacko policy from a wacko PM that’s destroying lives,” he said in a social media post.

Liberal parliamentarian Steven MacKinnon, in charge of government business in the House, told reporters the incident had been a disgrace and showed a disrespect for institutions.

Trudeau has a testy relationship with Poilievre, who he accuses of being an extremist and a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trudeau had earlier spoken to reporters on Tuesday and accused Poilievre of spending time with far right groups.

“That is not responsible leadership. That is dangerous for democracy, it’s dangerous for Canadians,” he said.

Ejections from the House are relatively rare. The speaker’s office was not immediately available to comment on the last time a leader of the official opposition had been booted out.

The next election must be held by late October 2025. Surveys of public opinion indicate the Conservatives would win a large majority over the center-left Liberals, who have been in power since November 2015.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Reuters)
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has o...Read More

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Hyundai Motor India lists with record IPO, commits to Indian market with new tech and EV plans

As part of its effort to introduce clean mobility solutions for Indian buyers, Hyundai will launch f...

auto | 7 hours ago

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India plants over 7 lakh trees in Maharashtra for ecological restoration

Additionally, SAVWIPL has installed 18.5 MWp of rooftop solar power at its Chakan facility, which of...

auto | 7 hours ago

Mega Corporation launches Lendingo to enhance EV financing solutions

Mega Corporation on Monday announced the launch of a new division, Lendingo. Mega Corporation on Mon...

auto | 7 hours ago

GreenLine accelerates decarbonisation efforts with 1,000 LNG trucks by March 2025

The government in a recent draft policy proposed to convert a third of long-haul trucks into LNG pow...

auto | 7 hours ago

Remsons Industries acquires 51% stake in BEE Lighting to enhance automotive lighting solutions

Established in 2006, BEE Lighting specialises in automotive headlamps, rear lamps, and various exter...

auto | 7 hours ago

EV Recharge partners with ZEVO for mobile EV charging solutions

EV Recharge’s technology can charge vehicles from 0% to 80% in just 20 minutes, a significant improv...

auto | 7 hours ago