OTTAWA, (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not face punishment for manhandling a legislator and inadvertently elbowing another during a fracas in the House of Commons, parliamentarians decided yesterday.
A committee examining what punishment if any to impose on Trudeau for his actions on May 18 voted to drop the matter after the female opposition legislator he elbowed said she accepted his apologies.
Trudeau has formally expressed regret three times for the incident, which was prompted by impatience at what he saw as stalling tactics by the opposition ahead of a vote.
His chances of facing serious sanctions had in any case been slim, since the committee is dominated by members of the ruling Liberal Party.
Trudeau told Reuters on May 19 that he was only human and cited the “tremendous amount of pressures that come with this job”.
He also promised there would be no repeat of his actions.
