Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (CPAC)
The silence speaks volumes.
After his daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked by a reporter to comment on US President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy the military to suppress any civil disorder.
Trump announced on Monday that he is ready to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military to suppress any civil disorder.
Trudeau paused for 21 seconds before answering, and avoided direct criticism of his US counterpart during his response.
“We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States,” he said.
“It is a time to pull people together, but it is a time to listen. It is a time to learn what injustices continue despite progress.”
The PM instead spoke to the injustices still present in Canada.
“Everything from micro-aggressions to acts of violence are part of the daily lived reality for far too many Canadians,” he said.
“What we’re seeing in the United States and what Canadians are speaking about underlines the fact that we need to act.”
Protests in the US have been ongoing since last week, triggered by the death of George Floyd.
Floyd was an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
