Trudeau says Trump incited a violent assault on democracy
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a press conference in Ottawa, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday (Jan 8) that US President Donald Trump incited an assault on democracy by violent rioters - a rare direct criticism of Trump.
Trudeau has been careful not to criticise Trump over the last four years as 75 per cent of Canada’s exports go to America, but Trudeau told reporters on Friday that Trump and other politicians are to blame for an event he called “shocking, deeply disturbing, and frankly saddening.”
“What we witnessed was an assault on democracy by violent rioters, incited by the current president and other politicians,” Trudeau said.
READ: After Capitol siege, an increasingly isolated Trump faces calls for removal
He said that democracy is not automatic - it takes work every day - and that it's a real accomplishment to have a political system in which the losing side gracefully concedes.
But Trudeau said democracy is resilient in America, Canada’s closet ally.
Trudeau said Canadians expect “debate that is grounded in shared acceptance of the facts.”
