Trudeau under growing pressure to condemn Trump over U.S. unrest

Singh is pressing Trudeau to speak up at a time when eyes are on world leaders and whether they will call out Trump for his actions since the start of unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Trudeau’s appearance Tuesday made international headlines for a notable moment when he didn't say anything at all. He took a 20-second pause before answering a question about Trump threats of military action against protesters.

The unusual delay has fueled speculation whether Trudeau’s silence was a deliberate attempt to make a point about or if he simply needed time to carefully consider an answer that could potentially provoke the unpredictable president.

Singh said Trudeau was wrong to stay quiet on Trump.

“I say this very clearly: What President Trump is doing is reprehensible,” Singh, who heads the third-largest, Canada-wide party, told reporters.

“What president Trump is doing is inflaming hatred, it is divisive, it is wrong. He is acting in a way which is fueling racism. He is acting in a way which is going to put people’s lives at risk. And it is wrong and it needs to be called out.”

The move by the leader of the NDP to challenge the prime minister on racial issues may appeal to those on the left flank of Trudeau's centrist Liberals. Trudeau has frequently branded his party as a champion of diversity and equality.

Other U.S. allies appear hesitant to speak out about Trump’s actions.

Earlier Wednesday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Floyd’s death "appalling" and "inexcusable." Johnson told the House of Commons he understood protesters' anger, but declined to be drawn on whether he had raised his concerns with Trump.

Labour leader Keir Starmer urged Johnson to convey "the U.K.’s abhorrence" at Trump's response. Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the president's actions and rhetoric had been "distressing" and claimed the U.S. was on "a dangerous slide into autocracy."

For Canada, angering the Trump administration could come with significant risk. The Canadian economy and its foreign trade are highly dependent on its next-door neighbor.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s point person on U.S. relations, was asked by reporters later Wednesday about Singh’s comments and whether staying silent makes Canada complicit.

Freeland would not answer questions about Trump and instead focused her responses on the need to deal with racism and anti-black discrimination in Canada.

“I think that the most-important response of any Canadian political leader has to be to understand our own responsibility for what happens here in our own country,” she said.

Freeland was also asked if Trudeau’s silent pause from Tuesday was a calculated move or if it was spontaneous.

“I think the prime minister’s answer yesterday was excellent and it was eloquent.”