Justin Trudeau gets rough ride from crowd at young workers' summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaufaced off with a room of angry protesterstoday who were venting their frustrations over everything frompipelines to thefailed federal payroll system.

Some of the participants turnedtheir backs on Trudeau in protest duringthe"armchair discussion" event at the Canadian Labour Congress National Young Workers Summit in Ottawa.

"Honour your promises!" hollered some in the crowd, as event moderators tried to keep the peace.

"We don't have dialogue with liars!"

"Shame! Shame!"

Trudeauattempted to keep calm and urged people to engage in conversation rather than a war of words that "reflects poorly" on the crowd.

CLC youth say PM has turned back on them

8 years ago

Duration 1:57

Delegates at the Canadian Labour Congress National Young Workers Summit discuss their fristartions with the Trudeau government which prompted their protest of the Prime Minister.

"I will tell you, it is a little bit frustrating for me to come in, sit down and look forward to hearing from you and talking with you, and seeing a room full of people who are standing in a way that shows they are not listening to me, that you don't want to engage," he said.

Some of the audience members heckled remarks about Indigenous rights and the Kinder Morgan pipeline. One placard read: "What will you commit to today?"

A woman, who identified herselfas a young worker representative for the Public Service Alliance of Canadaand a member of the union's bargaining team, grilled Trudeau on the failed Phoenix payroll system.

"When the hell are we going to get paid, and, two, when the hell are we going to get a contract that is a good deal for all of us, not just one generation?" she asked.

"And why are we sticking with the Conservative mandate? I'm just so confused."

Backs turned

After the event, oneparticipantexplained that some in the groupturned their backs onthe prime minister as a "deliberate message," because they believe he has turned his back on them.

"I am disappointed that they felt they could bring the prime minister to this event and expect a group of young workers who they've spent the last two days telling us to be empowered, telling us to stand up, telling us to speak truthto power," said Jessica Sikora.

"Then they put power in front of us and they expect us to sit quietly? That was never in the cards."

Erin Warmansaid she is upset by the "broken promises."

"Trudeau was elected to get some of these things done, electoral reform is a huge one," she said.

Trudeau faces angry protests at Young Workers Summit

8 years ago

Duration 3:39

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dealt with angry protesters and tough questions at the Canadian Labour Congress National Young Workers Summit in Ottawa.

Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, reminded the audience that the labour movementisa "respectful movement."

"The reality is, we can only have constructive dialogue to make this country a better one if we hear each other," he said. "The prime minister came here this morning as our guest. We spent 10 horrible years experiencing the worst government."

'Thank you for challenging me'

Before the 30-minute session wrapped up, Trudeau thanked the crowd and left with a thumbs up and a promise to return next year.

"Thank you for your openness, to actually hearing my answers, thank you for challenging me," he said, his words drowned out by people yelling, "Keep your promises!"

Back on Parliament Hill, opposition politicians seized on the event as evidence Trudeau's popularity is waning.

"A lot of young people are starting to be disappointed with what they're actually getting from the Trudeau government," said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. "Because beyond the photo ops and the easy sentences and the phrases that are cooked up here on the third floor, young people are insulted when the finance minister tells them their lot in life is going to be lousy, low-paid part-time jobs."

But longtime Liberal MP Wayne Easter insisted it's just a healthy sign of people expressing their difference of opinion.

"That's fine. That happens in a democracy," he said.