OTTAWA-
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s day of whistle stops in the Ottawa area ended early Friday as illiberal protesters gathered outside a beer hall ahead of his arrival.
After uneventful stops at Gatineau Park in Quebec and two Ottawa suburbs earlier in the day, Trudeau was on his way to the Brasserie Etienne Brule brewery in Embrun, Ontario, about 30 minutes east of Ottawa. The event was canceled before his arrival.
About a dozen protesters gathered outside the brewery, including one carrying a flag emblazoned with profanity directed at Trudeau and another who was recording the establishment on his phone.
RCMP officers dressed in civilian clothes were stationed outside.
The brewery itself was packed, both inside and on the patios. An employee of the brewery asked three of those customers, sitting in the backyard, to leave. One of them, a woman, approached the RCMP officers and appeared to briefly argue with them before walking away.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that while the event “regrettably” had to be cancelled, the prime minister hopes to return soon.
Government sources confirmed that the presence of the apparent supporters of the convoy was behind the cancellation. The presence of a large crowd of people inside the restaurant increased the risk in the event of an escalation.
It is the second time in less than two months that Trudeau has been forced to withdraw from a planned appearance due to the presence of people espousing views similar to the “freedom convoy” protesters who blocked downtown Ottawa for three weeks last winter.
On May 24, more than 100 protesters crowded the doors of a banquet hall in Surrey, BC, one of them carrying a makeshift gallows of noose, with Trudeau Betrayal written on it. Trudeau opted to address the fundraising event virtually.
Trudeau has been regularly targeted by protesters since the last federal election. An election stop in Bolton, Ontario was canceled due to the presence of a large crowd of protesters.
At a later event in London, Ontario, a handful of gravel was thrown at him as he boarded his tour bus. A man was later charged with assault with a weapon.
That man was also arrested in February in Ottawa during the convoy protests.
Protesters are largely demonstrating against COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates and mask requirements, but some have also called for Trudeau to resign or be removed from office.
Ahead of the Embrun event on Friday, Trudeau’s big talk of the day was his new short haircut: A man in an ice cream sundae in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans was one of many who noticed the severed locks and made a comment.
Trudeau also visited a family’s home in Ottawa to discuss a “climate action incentive” payment that Canadians received from the federal government. Some neighbors gathered as onlookers, but there were no visible protesters there.
Earlier in the year, a “Freedom Convoy” base camp was set up at Embrun during the blockades that gripped Ottawa for three weeks.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 15, 2022.