Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Aug 28 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday condemned an abusive verbal attack on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, which he described as “extremely disturbing harassment” that was not an isolated incident. “We’re seeing more and more people in public life and people in positions of responsibility, particularly women, Canadians of color, people of minority or different community groups, being targeted almost because of the growing power of your voices,” Trudeau said in a speech on Sunday. . “We’re seeing a backlash… We have to ask ourselves what kind of country we are, what kind of country we want to be.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register In video of the incident shared on Twitter late Friday, Freeland was approaching the elevator of a city hall building in Grande Prairie, Alberta, when a man yelled at her. “What the hell are you doing in Alberta?” the man said as Freeland walked towards and into the elevator. He also called her a “traitor” and a “fucking bitch.” The video had hundreds of thousands of views. Freeland was born in Alberta and was touring the province to meet with officials, businesses and workers. He acknowledged the incident in a tweet on Saturday. “What happened yesterday was wrong. No one, anywhere, should have to put up with threats and intimidation,” Freeland tweeted. Canadian politicians across the political spectrum also condemned the verbal attack. The incident was the latest in a string of verbal attacks against women in public life in Canada, including activists and journalists. A group of reporters has for weeks been publicly sharing a series of private and anonymous emails they received that contain targeted threats of violence and sexual assault, along with racist and misogynistic language. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Alistair Bell Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
