No apologies from Trudeau for heckler encounter in Quebec

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sticking to his guns after an encounter with a heckler in Quebec over the weekend.

The exchange happened at a rally in Quebec, where a woman starting to shout at the prime minister from the crowd.

Video Of Justin Trudeau Telling A Heckler "Racism Has No Place" In Canada Is Pretty Powerfulhttps://t.co/5NDlD40z3Z pic.twitter.com/BwsrBpKZFS

— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) August 20, 2018

She was asking Trudeau when the federal government would repay Quebec for costs incurred as a result of an influx of “illegal immigrants” coming into the country.

Trudeau responded by telling the woman that “racism has no place” in Canada, accusing the woman of being intolerant and saying such sentiments weren’t welcome.

While his response was applauded by the crowd, it has received some criticism, which prompted Trudeau to address the situation once again at a news conference near Ottawa today.

When asked if he went too far, Trudeau said he intends to continue calling out such behaviour.

He also added that he fears a rise in extreme populism and a polarization in the political discourse, particularly around immigration, with some feeding fear and intolerance using partial truths or even “outright lies.”

Trudeau announced on Sunday that he would be running to be re-elected as prime minister of Canada in the 2019 election.

With files from the Canadian Press.