This may not have been the walk in the snow many Canadians are waiting for, but it sure has people talking.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found himself on a slippery slope Friday – and not just because he was on a ski hill.
If there are many more public reactions like he endured while vacationing in British Columbia, perhaps it will be all downhill from here for Canada’s 23rd prime minister.
Or was this nothing more than an orchestrated gotcha video takedown? Either way, footage of the interaction has gone viral.
“Mr. Prime Minister,” said a woman who had her cellphone camera rolling upon seeing Trudeau near an SUV in a snow-filled parking at the Red Mountain Resort in Rossland.
“Yes,” replied Trudeau, wearing a snowboarder’s helmet, ski googles and a smile as he walked over to shake the woman’s extended hand while holding his gloves in his free hand.
As they actually shook hands, the woman uttered profanely, “Please get the f— out of B.C.”
Trudeau appeared to take the verbal shot, and invasion of his space, in stride.
“Ha, ha, have a nice day madam,” he responded with a nervous smile before retreating back to his ski holiday with a child, believed to be his 10-year-old son Hadrien, standing nearby in snowboarding gear.
The woman ended the exchange by telling Trudeau, “You suck.”
There’s varying views on this whole thing. It seems important to note, however, that this was not a fellow skier who happened upon Trudeau organically. The woman made the trek to the resort upon hearing he was there.
It was an organized protest event – from someone who’s social media shows past posts on transgender and vaccine mandate issues.
It’s not the first time Trudeau has faced this kind of vitriol. The one I wrote about a Sault Ste. Marie steelworker was more in the moment in that Kyle Mero was actually on his way into his shift when he spotted the Prime Minister and gave him a respectful piece of his mind.
This encounter was more orchestrated but no less impactful or sincere.
“This woman speaks for all of us,” @rightblend posted on X. “Trudeau is vacationing while the entire country is hurting.”
This also comes at a time when the Prime Minister’s future is in question.
Earlier in the day, his former principal secretary Gerald Butts indicated he didn’t think the 52-year-old would stay on much longer post finance minister Chrystia Freeland rocking his world with her mocking resignation that sent his leadership into a tailspin.
Trudeau has not addressed any of this publicly, other than to suggest he would “reflect” on everything over his holidays.
But as Canadians, are you comfortable with our Prime Minister being ambushed next to his child while on vacation? Many believe “he deserves it” and needs to feel the wrath, while others feel his personal time and space and family should be respected.
Personally, I am not a fan of this kind of stunt. With other world leaders facing assassination attempts, there’s nothing funny about it.
Heckling from a distance is part of the game and Trudeau gets that in Ottawa from protesters who know how far to push it or not push it.
But surreptitiously duping him and shaking his hand is a whole other level of protest tradecraft. Trudeau didn’t see it coming, nor did his security detail.
While this was a big score in the anti-Trudeau landscape, it could also backfire and stir up some extra resolve from the Prime Minister to become more emboldened and defiant – and to keep fighting on.
He doesn’t have to quit, or get out of B.C., or do anything his critics tell him to do. He won’t want disloyal Freeland or Donald Trump trolling him to run him out of town either.
It’s a democracy and he’s the Prime Minister, and outside of parliamentary procedures, there is little anybody who hates him can do about that.
Swearing at him at a ski resort might make for a great video clip and it may even feel good, but it changes nothing. The Prime Minister will return to Ottawa on Jan. 27 where the official efforts to knock him off his political skis can appropriately take place.
Yes, he’s scolded Canadians, divided them, froze their bank accounts, brought in the horses and Emergencies Act to round them up, and plummeted the country deep into debt, so he deserves an earful.
But he’s still Prime Minister and will be until he decides to leave, is defeated in a non-confidence vote, removed by his Liberal Party, or loses in a federal election.
Until any of those things happen, it’s still his hill to either politically die or snowboard on.
As they actually shook hands, the woman uttered profanely, “Please get the f— out of B.C.”
Trudeau appeared to take the verbal shot, and invasion of his space, in stride.
“Ha, ha, have a nice day madam,” he responded with a nervous smile before retreating back to his ski holiday with a child, believed to be his 10-year-old son Hadrien, standing nearby in snowboarding gear.
The woman ended the exchange by telling Trudeau, “You suck.”
There’s varying views on this whole thing. It seems important to note, however, that this was not a fellow skier who happened upon Trudeau organically. The woman made the trek to the resort upon hearing he was there.
It was an organized protest event – from someone who’s social media shows past posts on transgender and vaccine mandate issues.
It’s not the first time Trudeau has faced this kind of vitriol. The one I wrote about a Sault Ste. Marie steelworker was more in the moment in that Kyle Mero was actually on his way into his shift when he spotted the Prime Minister and gave him a respectful piece of his mind.
This encounter was more orchestrated but no less impactful or sincere.
“This woman speaks for all of us,” @rightblend posted on X. “Trudeau is vacationing while the entire country is hurting.”
This also comes at a time when the Prime Minister’s future is in question.
Earlier in the day, his former principal secretary Gerald Butts indicated he didn’t think the 52-year-old would stay on much longer post finance minister Chrystia Freeland rocking his world with her mocking resignation that sent his leadership into a tailspin.
Trudeau has not addressed any of this publicly, other than to suggest he would “reflect” on everything over his holidays.
But as Canadians, are you comfortable with our Prime Minister being ambushed next to his child while on vacation? Many believe “he deserves it” and needs to feel the wrath, while others feel his personal time and space and family should be respected.
Personally, I am not a fan of this kind of stunt. With other world leaders facing assassination attempts, there’s nothing funny about it.
Heckling from a distance is part of the game and Trudeau gets that in Ottawa from protesters who know how far to push it or not push it.
But surreptitiously duping him and shaking his hand is a whole other level of protest tradecraft. Trudeau didn’t see it coming, nor did his security detail.
While this was a big score in the anti-Trudeau landscape, it could also backfire and stir up some extra resolve from the Prime Minister to become more emboldened and defiant – and to keep fighting on.
He doesn’t have to quit, or get out of B.C., or do anything his critics tell him to do. He won’t want disloyal Freeland or Donald Trump trolling him to run him out of town either.
It’s a democracy and he’s the Prime Minister, and outside of parliamentary procedures, there is little anybody who hates him can do about that.
Swearing at him at a ski resort might make for a great video clip and it may even feel good, but it changes nothing. The Prime Minister will return to Ottawa on Jan. 27 where the official efforts to knock him off his political skis can appropriately take place.
Yes, he’s scolded Canadians, divided them, froze their bank accounts, brought in the horses and Emergencies Act to round them up, and plummeted the country deep into debt, so he deserves an earful.
But he’s still Prime Minister and will be until he decides to leave, is defeated in a non-confidence vote, removed by his Liberal Party, or loses in a federal election.
Until any of those things happen, it’s still his hill to either politically die or snowboard on.
Trudeau has not addressed any of this publicly, other than to suggest he would “reflect” on everything over his holidays.
But as Canadians, are you comfortable with our Prime Minister being ambushed next to his child while on vacation? Many believe “he deserves it” and needs to feel the wrath, while others feel his personal time and space and family should be respected.
Personally, I am not a fan of this kind of stunt. With other world leaders facing assassination attempts, there’s nothing funny about it.
Heckling from a distance is part of the game and Trudeau gets that in Ottawa from protesters who know how far to push it or not push it.
But surreptitiously duping him and shaking his hand is a whole other level of protest tradecraft. Trudeau didn’t see it coming, nor did his security detail.
While this was a big score in the anti-Trudeau landscape, it could also backfire and stir up some extra resolve from the Prime Minister to become more emboldened and defiant – and to keep fighting on.
He doesn’t have to quit, or get out of B.C., or do anything his critics tell him to do. He won’t want disloyal Freeland or Donald Trump trolling him to run him out of town either.
It’s a democracy and he’s the Prime Minister, and outside of parliamentary procedures, there is little anybody who hates him can do about that.
Swearing at him at a ski resort might make for a great video clip and it may even feel good, but it changes nothing. The Prime Minister will return to Ottawa on Jan. 27 where the official efforts to knock him off his political skis can appropriately take place.
Yes, he’s scolded Canadians, divided them, froze their bank accounts, brought in the horses and Emergencies Act to round them up, and plummeted the country deep into debt, so he deserves an earful.
But he’s still Prime Minister and will be until he decides to leave, is defeated in a non-confidence vote, removed by his Liberal Party, or loses in a federal election.
Until any of those things happen, it’s still his hill to either politically die or snowboard on.
While this was a big score in the anti-Trudeau landscape, it could also backfire and stir up some extra resolve from the Prime Minister to become more emboldened and defiant – and to keep fighting on.
He doesn’t have to quit, or get out of B.C., or do anything his critics tell him to do. He won’t want disloyal Freeland or Donald Trump trolling him to run him out of town either.
It’s a democracy and he’s the Prime Minister, and outside of parliamentary procedures, there is little anybody who hates him can do about that.
Swearing at him at a ski resort might make for a great video clip and it may even feel good, but it changes nothing. The Prime Minister will return to Ottawa on Jan. 27 where the official efforts to knock him off his political skis can appropriately take place.
Yes, he’s scolded Canadians, divided them, froze their bank accounts, brought in the horses and Emergencies Act to round them up, and plummeted the country deep into debt, so he deserves an earful.
But he’s still Prime Minister and will be until he decides to leave, is defeated in a non-confidence vote, removed by his Liberal Party, or loses in a federal election.
Until any of those things happen, it’s still his hill to either politically die or snowboard on.
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