Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left the House of Commons roaring Wednesday after he accused a Jewish member of the Conservative Party of “standing with people who wave swastikas.”
Member of Parliament Melissa Lantsman pressed Trudeau about his emergency response to the recent trucker protests during the Question Period that takes place each sitting day. Lantsman cited a 2015 statement by Trudeau that expressed the need for government to trust Canadians if Canadians are to trust the government.
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Lantsman is the first Jewish woman to serve as a Conservative MP, according to Fox News. Her passionate questioning of Trudeau stemmed from characterizations made of the Freedom Convoy being “very often misogynistic, racist, women-haters, science-deniers, the fringe.” Trudeau previously condemned the trucker protests as a “few people shouting and waving swastikas.” (RELATED: The Media Are Going After ‘Freedom Convoy’ Donors)
“Mr. Speaker, Conservative Party members can stand with people who wave swastikas. They can stand with people who wave the Confederate flag. We will choose to stand with Canadians who deserve to be able to get to their jobs, to be able to get their lives back. These illegal protests need to stop and they will, Mr. Speaker,” Trudeau responded.
Shouts immediately erupted in the House of Commons after Trudeau’s answer, causing the Speaker to urgently restore order.
Members of the Conservative Party expressed dismay with Trudeau’s statement, including MP Dane Lloyd, who tweeted, “Members of the Conservative Caucus have family who died in the holocaust. I demanded Trudeau apologize three times and he refused. Shame on him.”
I think the Prime Minister should think long and hard about his own history before singling out a Jewish Member of Parliament and falsely accusing me of standing with a Swastika. What a disgraceful statement unbecoming of anyone in public office – he owes me an apology. #cdnpoli
— Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) February 16, 2022
Lantsman later took to Twitter on Wednesday and demanded Trudeau apologize for his remarks.
“I think the Prime Minister should think long and hard about his own history before singling out a Jewish Member of Parliament and falsely accusing me of standing with a Swastika. What a disgraceful statement unbecoming of anyone in public office – he owes me an apology,” she said.