Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is defending a large indoor rally he held in Brampton, Ontario, by claiming that his party adhered to public health regulations.
When he was introduced by 87-year-old former prime minister Jean Chretien on Tuesday evening, hundreds of people gathered around him on the stage.
People surrounded Trudeau at the conclusion of the event, despite the fact that organizers had asked them to stand in squares taped to the ground.
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Officials from the Liberal Party estimated that approximately 400 people attended, which met local COVID-19 regulations that limit indoor gatherings to half their maximum capacities.
Hazel McCallion, a former Mississauga, Ont., mayor who is 100 years old, attended the event on Wednesday and asked Trudeau about the wisdom of holding such a large indoor event.
To begin with, he told reporters in Halifax that no one tells Hazel McCallion or Jean Chretien what they should or should not do.
The fact that they chose to participate in our event, which complied with all public health guidelines, made me extremely happy.
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Each leader delivered a separate speech on a stage in the middle of a Brampton convention center ballroom, surrounded on all sides by an enthusiastic audience that applauded them as they criticized the other parties’ leaders and promoted the Liberal platform on vaccines, the environment, and child care, among other topics.
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In his speech, Chretien defended Trudeau’s decision to summon Canadians to the polls, claiming that election calls are “a tradition” for minority governments after two years in office.
On climate change and the challenges posed by China, he delivered a scathing criticism of O’Toole and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, declaring that Canadians require a centrist government to deal with them.
This is not the time to be on the far right or far left, he asserted; rather, this is the time to be in the middle.
If Chretien was asked later if he felt at ease in the middle of a large crowd, he admitted that he hadn’t been aware of the format beforehand.
As for his surroundings, Chretien explained that he had been vaccinated. “I didn’t have a podium, so it wasn’t the environment I was used to,” he said
I’m glad that I made it, though.” My time off the track had been a while, so it wasn’t too difficult to get back on it.”
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After the event, McCallion stated that the large crowds were just one of the reasons why an election should not have been called during a pandemic situation.
When governments tell people to stay at home and avoid congregating in groups, McCallion points out that an election is called, which brings people together in congregated areas.
Despite her dissatisfaction with the election result, McCallion acknowledged that minority governments “don’t work” and expressed hope that Trudeau’s government would be successful.
