Premier Andrew Furey has 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 being confronted in the lobby of a building as she heads into a nearby elevator in her home province of Alberta.
A man can be seen yelling obscenities at the Deputy Prime Minister and calling her a “traitor.” Another woman can be heard saying “you don’t belong here.”
Freeland herself has commented on the situation. She says what happened was wrong and that nobody should have to deal with threats and intimidation.
However, she says Alberta is filled with kind and welcoming people, and one “unpleasant incident” doesn’t change how she feels about the province.
Premier Andrew Furey chimed in with his response to the situation, saying the harassment experienced by Freeland and her staff is “inexcusable and appalling.”
He says people can disagree with someone’s politics with respect, and 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 are inexcusable and appalling.
No one deserves to be treated like this. You can disagree with someone’s politics with respect, and at the ballot box. This rhetoric has no place in Canada. https://t.co/IxvdPI0lrK
— Andrew Furey (@FureyAndrew) August 28, 2022
