Battlelinesexposed

HECKLE HEARD AROUND THE COUNTRY OFFERS SNEAK PEEK AT 2019 CAMPAIGN NARRATIVE

The Prime Minister’s Office is refusing to say precisely when — or even if — Justin Trudeau knew he was dealing with an alt-right activist when he denounced her questions about the cost of “illegal immigrants” in Quebec as intolerant and racist.

Nor were members of Conservative rival Andrew Scheer’s staff willing to discuss Tuesday whether their leader was aware of the woman’s background when he issued a statement late Monday deriding Trudeau’s response as dodging a legitimate policy question.

But with such details as close as the nearest iPhone, suggesting otherwise stretches credulity, said Chris Mathers, a former RCMP officer and security consultant who was once part of the detail that protected the prime minister’s official residence.

“There’s no doubt that lady was a plant in there ... to try and embarrass the prime minister, because she’s one of these fringy types,” said Mathers, noting that PMO security officials routinely monitor intelligence for any potential threats or disturbances at public events.

Given that she belonged to a social media group that openly discussed plans to attend last week’s event, it is unlikely the prime minister’s security detail or PMO officials were taken by surprise, he added.

If alerted to an organized effort to potentially cause a disruption, security officials “would have informed (the PMO), anyway,” Mathers said.

During a campaign-style rally Thursday southeast of Montreal, the woman shouted questions in French at Trudeau, asking him when the federal government would repay Quebec for costs it has incurred as a result of an influx of “illegal immigrants” coming over the Canada-U.S. border.

The Quebec government has demanded Ottawa pay the full costs of social services provided to so-called irregular migrants who have crossed into Canada between established border crossings over the past couple of years — costs the province says have reached $146 million so far.

The prime minister responded to the woman by accusing her of intolerance and racism and saying her sentiments were not welcome. She has not responded to requests for comment.

The retort seemed disproportionate at first. But questions about how much Trudeau knew of the woman have persisted as more details emerge about her apparent ties to antiimmigration activist groups such as the Front Patriotique du Quebec and the Storm Alliance.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen doubled down on the racism angle Wednesday when he referred to the woman as a neo-Nazi sympathizer.

“I’m very proud of the fact that the prime minister called out racism when it reared its ugly head,” Hussen said in Nanaimo, B.C., where Liberal ministers are gathered for a cabinet retreat.

“When someone in authority does that, it makes all Canadians feel like they belong, that they’re not being shunned, that they’re not being bullied by a known member of a neoNazi group.”

Scheer’s late-day statement accused Trudeau of using “name-calling and personal attacks to shut down legitimate criticism.” It came long after the woman’s alt-right ties were already being reported online and in news reports.

“This is a calculated Liberal strategy to avoid being accountable for their record,” Scheer said. “Instead of demonizing critics, Justin Trudeau should confront the problem.”