Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised “unreservedly” for making physical contact with a female opposition member of Parliament who said Trudeau elbowed her in the chest as he waded through a group of opposition lawmakers.
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In her eight years as a parliamentarian, MP Carol Hughes says she has never seen a sight as disturbing and shocking as what played out in the House of Commons yesterday.
Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton said she was “ashamed” of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s physical outburst in the House of Commons Wednesday, but her response resulted in a social-media backlash.
They could also ask Trudeau to testify about his version of events, but have no power to compel him to do so.
The incident happened in the House of Commons during discussions for a physician-assisted suicide law.
Trudeau said his response was that “you can’t separate one from the other” but that he should have refrained from getting involved in the incident, which was gleefully dissected on Twitter with the hashtag #elbowgate and splashed on newspaper front pages across the country.
Trudeau gave a second apology on Thursday to Brown, Brosseau, all MPs and the Speaker.
“It is important because we are here to serve Canadians, and Canadians deserve to have their concerns expressed fully and fairly in a direct and dignified manner. I certainly did not intend to offend or impact on anyone”, Trudeau said.
Unimpressed, Ambrose told him: “I don’t know how we can do this unless he removes this motion”. “I’ve never seen anything like this before and I have been there since Jean Chrétien and he was known for his colourful representations, but he never crossed the line like this”. Trudeau’s government backed down on a controversial motion that would have taken away some of the procedural tools opposition members use to delay the government, including on the euthanasia bill. On Wednesday, the motion passed by a margin of 172-137.
Speaker Geoff Regan concluded there was a prima facie case that Brosseau’s privileges as an MP had been breached, which means the encounter will be examined by an all-party committee.
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“I’m not going to forget it because it makes me uneasy to think they were willing to go that far, so quickly, merely because they came up against some opposition”, Ambrose said.
