Trudeau was asked if his 21-second pause was a condemnation of Trump

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked today whether the 21-second pause during his Tuesday briefing — which followed a question about U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for military intervention in nationwide protests — was an unspoken condemnation of Trump.

“Well , I think that everyone is looking at what is happening in the United States with tremendous concern and anxiety,” Justin Trudeau replied. “We will continue to both follow what’s happening in the U.S. and look at what we can and must do in our own country. Canadians are facing discrimination every single day and we need to have a government here to respond to the challenges they face. That means working together to be better allies. Canadians expect a Prime Minister to stand up for their values and their interests. That’s what I’ve done during my time as Prime Minister, whether it be with the United States or around the world.

“Canada will continue to support and stand up for all minorities across the country and around the world. That’s what we will always do. My job as Prime Minister is to defend Canadian values and to stand up for our principles, but at the same time protect the interests of all Canadians. As a government we have done a great deal working with the Black community here in Canada, but we still have a lot to do.”

While some pundits have interpreted Trudeau’s silence as a condemnation, others have criticized the Prime Minister, notably federal party leaders Jagmeet Singh (NDP — see his statement about Trudeau refusing to denounce Trump by name here) and Yves-François Blanchet (Bloq Québécois), the latter referring to the pause as “theatre.”

Trudeau was also asked today whether he was afraid of the consequences of condemning Trump, in the realm of trade or border issues, to which he said, “My job is to always stand up for Canadians’ interests, while making it very clear what Canadians’ values are. That’s exactly what I’ve done.”

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