Prime Minister Andrew Furey joined the chorus of public condemnation following an incident involving Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday. Videos of the incident have been widely shared on social media. They show Freeland standing face-to-face in the lobby of a building as she heads into a nearby elevator in her hometown of rural Alberta. A man can be seen shouting profanities at the woman and calling her a ‘traitor’. Another woman can be heard saying “you don’t belong here”. Freeland herself commented on the situation. He says what happened was wrong and no one should have to deal with threats and intimidation. Still, he says Alberta is full of kind and welcoming people, and an “unpleasant incident” doesn’t change how he feels about the province. Prime Minister Andrew Furey hit back with his response to the situation, saying the harassment Freeland and her staff experienced was “inexcusable and appalling”. He says people can respectfully disagree with someone’s politics at the ballot box, noting that such rhetoric has no place in Canada. The intimidation and harassment experienced by the Deputy Prime Minister and her staff is inexcusable and appalling. No one deserves to be treated like this. You can respectfully disagree with someone’s politics at the ballot box. This rhetoric has no place in Canada. — Andrew Furey (@FureyAndrew) August 28, 2022
