Canadian Trudeau, after throwing gravel, condemns the rhetoric of the right-wing leader

CANDIAC, Quebec, Sept. 12 (Reuters) – Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday, who was engulfed in gravel at a rally last week, said the right-wing People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader was using an irresponsible rhetoric.

Trudeau, 49, was campaigning in London, Ontario, last week before the Sept. 20 national election, when he was hit by gravel as he returned to his campaign bus.

On Saturday, police accused former PPC member Shane Marshall of assault with a weapon, alleging Marshall threw the stones.

PPC leader Maxime Bernier expelled Marshall from the party last week when the allegations arose, and also condemned the incident.

On Sunday, Trudeau entrusted at least some of the responsibility to Bernier for throwing gravel and the often profane verbal abuse he has faced of angry vaccine opponents on the campaign trail.

“Words have power,” Trudeau told supporters of an act outside of Montreal when asked if Bernier was inciting violence. “I don’t think Mr. Bernier is responsible in his approach to Canada or Canadians.”

A lone protester waving a PPC poster shouted, “Woo! Max Bernier!” and “liar” and “tyrant” as Trudeau spoke. “Thank you, sir, for asserting myself,” replied Trudeau.

Bernier, who calls himself a “conservative of the limited government,” has been attracting vocal crowds as he campaigns against pandemic closures and vaccination warrants.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Industry, Bernier founded the populist PPC in 2018 after narrowly losing his candidacy for the leadership of the main opposition Conservative party.

In 2019, the PPC won only 1.6% of the national vote and failed to get a seat in parliament, but an Ekos poll released on Saturday puts the PPC at 9.1%.

A 1,200-vote Nanos Research poll conducted on Friday showed the Liberals led 34.4% with rival Conservatives at 30.1%, a change from Thursday when the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than two percentage points.

The liberal gain in the polls followed after two debates aired nationwide, in French and English, last week.

Left-wing New Democrats had 19 percent on Friday, about the same as a day earlier.

Reports by Steve Scherer; Edited by Cynthia Osterman

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