Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was feeling the political heat from all sides as he finished his annual town hall tour.
As Global News reports, on Friday, Trudeau had particularly angry group of hecklers ejected from a meeting in Nanaimo, B.C. The group was composed of environmentalists opposed to the Kinder Morgan pipeline that is planned to bring oil from Alberta to the West Coast. Trudeau has consistently positioned himself as a green-friendly prime minister.
On Thursday, Trudeau was put on the spot by a veteran disabled during his service in Afghanistan. When the former soldier said that Canada “had turned it back on me,” Trudeau retorted that veterans are “asking for more than we are able to give right now.”
The group in Nanaimo was outraged over Trudeau’s apparent unwillingness to answer their questions about the pipeline, asking, “why won’t you talk with us, why won’t you engage with us?”
Trudeau objected, “I am trying to engage with you, I am trying to speak with you, I’m trying to answer a question from someone who asked me a question that is extremely important to her.”
But the heckler wouldn’t let up and was soon joined by others.
“Oh come on, come on. Really? Really? OK, this is it,” Trudeau said.
With that, Trudeau had police remove the group from the building.
“Thank you and I apologize for the behavior of our fellow citizens,” Trudeau said to the police and crowd.
But there was still some vocal opposition left in the room, and they started shouting “stop Kinder Morgan” as the meeting ended and Trudeau departed.