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Brampton violence leads to a heated debate between Trudeau and Poilievre
Incidents of violence witnessed in Brampton last weekend were a subject of debate that saw the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leader of the Official Opposition Party Pierre Poilievre getting engaged in a testy exchange.
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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in public hearings for an independent commission probing alleged foreign interference in Canadian elections in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo / Reuters
Incidents of violence witnessed in Brampton last weekend were a subject of debate that saw the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leader of the Official Opposition Party Pierre Poilievre getting engaged in a testy exchange.
Since members of the ruling Liberal caucus have been targeting the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre for refusing to take the high-security clearance, the Opposition MPs broke their silence and accused Justin Trudeau of creating divisions that led to the violent clashes in Brampton last weekend.
The bitter exchange between Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre started during the question period. Till now, the Conservatives had been very guarded in their statements on the growing rift in relations with India and the recent incidents of violence and demonstrations witnessed outside places of worship in different parts of the country.
Justin Trudeau made a scathing attack on Pierre Poilievre saying that “his silence on the violence in the South Asian community was deafening.” Pierre Poilievre retorted by accusing Justin Trudeau of using the turbulence in the South Asian community to distract from domestic economic issues.
"So he uses divisions here at home. These divisions are the result of him," Poilievre said.
"Now we see sectarian riots on the streets of Brampton. This never happened before this prime minister. Does he take ownership for the divisions he's caused and the violence that has resulted?", quipped Pierre Poilievre.
Repeating his accusation, Justin Trudeau urged Poilievre to go through the security clearance process so that he could be briefed by the country's intelligence and security agencies about threats to Canada and also about political interference by foreign powers.
The leaders' tiff witnessed on the floor of the issue added to an already tense situation that threatens to worsen further the already deteriorating diplomatic relationship between Canada and India.
This is what Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre exchanged on the floor of the House:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Mr. Speaker, the silence of the Conservative leader is deafening when it comes to what is happening in the South Asian communities right now, and it is a real shame. Not only is he not stepping forward to talk about how all Canadians must stand together and all South Asian Canadians, Sikh, Hindu, Jain and Buddhist, are celebrating together this weekend, but he even refuses to take the issue seriously enough to get the security clearance necessary to be briefed on threats to Canada and to Canadians. That is not leadership.”
Leader of the Official Opposition Pierre Poilievre: “Mr. Speaker, now we know the Prime Minister’s real agenda. He wants to distract from all the economic misery he has caused at home, and so he uses divisions here at home. These divisions are a result of him. Under his leadership, we have seen a 251 percent increase in hate crimes, fire bombings of synagogues, bullets shot at Jewish children's schools, a hundred churches burned and vandalized, and now we see sectarian riots on the streets of Brampton. This never happened before the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister take ownership for the divisions he has caused and the violence that has resulted?” he said.
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