Video: Justin Trudeau Snaps at Heckler for Calling His Wife 'Wh**e' During Media Appearance

After calling a snap election in late August, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is currently campaigning to seek a majority for his Liberal government. However, opinions differ on the upcoming election, slated two years ahead of schedule, with many people believing that it is unnecessary, especially given that Canada is still dealing with the pandemic.

As he was preparing for a media appearance in Burnaby, British Columbia, on Monday, Justin Trudeau had to face an angry protester who spewed rude remarks about his wife and challenged the prime minister to a fight.

"Isn't there a hospital you should be going to bother right now?" Trudeau snapped back at the man who called him "f**king chicken sh*t" and his wife a "wh**e".

Even after receiving a response from the prime minister, the man continued to provoke him and yell, particularly criticising the vaccination campaign.

This was a fun little bit of street theater involving Justin Trudeau. The guy called his wife a whore and challenged him to a fight, and his response was: "Isn't there a hospital you should be going to bother?" Classy and amusing, but the media is predictably spinning it. pic.twitter.com/RPkyDjsEBH

— Zephyr (@Zephyr7) September 14, 2021

Trudeau's failure to ignore the protester has raised questions from the media, but the Canadian PM said later that he did not regret responding to the man.

"I think Canadians know that I have a pretty thick skin", Trudeau smiled when commenting about his encounter with the protester. "But he went after my family. He said hateful misogynist things about my wife".

Some netizens, however, argued with the "thick skin" part, suggesting that the PM is "losing it" because he loses his patience and snaps back at demonstrators. Others defended Trudeau, saying that his response to the heckler was just a "human moment".

Oh Justin....😆 pic.twitter.com/hJHmuF2k3L

— TruthHurtz (@heavenswatch20) September 14, 2021

The stress must be getting to him, he's beginning to sound like his old man finally

— andrew spencer (@billsmachine) September 14, 2021

It was obviously sarcasm, suggesting the protester is the same as the brain dead folks outside of the hospitals.

— Barry Quinn (@BarryQuinnME) September 14, 2021

This is not the first time Trudeau's campaign events have been "visited" by his critics, many of whom are particularly disappointed about his hard stance on the coronavirus response and strict policies regarding COVID vaccines. The latter envisage that all public and transport workers in Canada, along with travellers, must be inoculated with coronavirus shots, prompting many anti-vaccination protests.

This criticism has not done Trudeau's poll numbers any favours. The latter have seen a decline recently, leaving him in a neck and neck race with his rival, Conservative candidate Erin O'Toole, who pledged he would only require workers to pass rapid COVID tests instead of ordering mandatory vaccines, if he is elected.

The election in Canada is scheduled for 20 September. In late August Trudeau called for a snap election, saying that voters need to have a say now that Canada is on the path to a "pivotal moment".

"Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19", Trudeau said at the time, immediately prompting backlash from critics who slammed him for calling a campaign during the latest wave of the pandemic for "political gain".

In 2019, voters decided that Trudeau's Liberal Party would receive a minority, leaving him relying on opposition parties in order to pass legislation.