“Over the line”: Trudeau’s family vacation in BC disrupted by right-wing reporter

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family are currently on vacation in BC but it appears that his private time was disrupted after he was approached on the beach by a right-wing reporter.

Video shared by Keean Bexte, the editor-in-chief of the right-wing online publication The Counter Signal and self-described “independent journalist,” shows him finding Trudeau on a beach and attempting to ask him questions.

According to Bexte, Trudeau was walking on a beach in Tofino on Vancouver Island when he approached him.

In the video, Bexte said he and his team viewed “open-source information and discerning  the whereabouts of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plane” and “realized he was in hiding in Tofino.”

The 15-minute long video starts with Bexte pressing Trudeau for answers, questioning him about whether he is “hiding from [his caucus].”

What appears to be Trudeau’s staff and security step in, but the prime minister tells them that he will be with them shortly and invites Bexte to walk with him.

“Do you think the prime minister should be able to have a family life?” Trudeau asks Bexte.

“Do you think kids who grow up in a prime minister’s family deserve to have a normal-ish life with their family?” he continues, to which Bexte agrees.

Trudeau goes on to allow the reporter to ask him questions as they go back and forth.

However, Trudeau tries to reiterate that this is his time on vacation with his family, emphasizing that his children deserve privacy.

“My kids spend an awful lot of their life dealing with me as prime minister. Every now and then, I get to go away and watch my kids playing in the water. And this is the 10 days I get on vacation the entire summer and as you know, I work more days a week than the vast majority of Canadians,” he said.

Trudeau added that his son was playing on the beach before Bexte came up to him.

Many Canadians say the PM should be left alone on vacation

The video has garnered online reaction as some agreed that Trudeau was entitled to private time with his family.

“This isn’t journalism, it’s stalking,” wrote Canadian journalist and author André Picard on X.

One X-user said Bexte’s behaviour towards the prime minister was harassment.

“I am not a fan of JT, but Bexte stepped over the line and rights of anyone taking vacations.” noted another person.

“Family time should be sacred. No matter the political stripe. No matter the depth of the disagreements,” added another individual.

Another person said the act of tracking the prime minister down during vacation was “sleazy.”

“I’m not a JT guy but come on,” said another.

Others agreed with Bexte’s approach and showed support in comments on his X posts.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) provided Daily Hive with a brief statement about the incident.

“What you see in that video is a father deciding a course of action that moves a confrontational situation away from his child. Nothing to add beyond that.”

Trudeau will be on holiday in BC until August 1.

“He will reimburse the equivalent of a commercial airline ticket for him and his family, as well as pay for their stay,” said the PMO in a previous statement.

Daily Hive reached out to the RCMP for further comment.

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