Jean Chrétien, Canada's Prime Minister in 1996, choked and threw a protester to the ground at a Flag Day event without security intervention. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, a jiu-jitsu champion, confronted a heckler directly at a campaign stop. Unlike the U.S. Secret Service model, Canadian leaders sometimes handle their own security.
Chapters
This is the story of the Shawinigan handshake. And when you think of Canadian prime ministers, do you think badass? Because if you don't, you probably haven't met Jean Chrétien. He was PM here in the 1990s, 3 majority governments in a row, always known as a bit of a scrapper. And in 1996, he was attending celebrations for the first ever Flag Day. A bunch of people were protesting unemployment insurance nearby. When Chrétien went to leave, there The usual number of people waited to shake his hand, but one guy got right up in his grill. Now, most leaders would wait for security. Not Préchenne. Not the little guy from Shawinigan. With one hand, Préchenne grabbed the guy around the throat and choked him. The other hand went to the back of the guy's head and just basically hurtled the guy to the ground. The prime minister, not any of his security forces, I mean, naturally the media wanted to ask said security forces whether they thought that the fact that some rando had just walked up and nearly assaulted our Prime Minister was, you know, an issue. Their response was less than convincing.
Prime Minister was adequately protected today, and it's, it's, and that's it.
It's not that Canadian leaders don't have protection. They do. It's just that sometimes the threat isn't to the leaders, it's from them. Take Jagmeet Singh. 2 elections ago, some jackass chirped at him at a campaign event. Now most people would try to de-escalate this or call for help, but Jagmeet, who by the way happens to be a champion jiu-jitsu fighter, just squared up. And watch the police in this clip. They're moving in case they have to protect the protesters.
Somebody behind you said that. Was it me? Was it you? No. You sure? If it was me, I'd admit it, buddy. Was it you or not? If it was me, I'd admit it. What'd you say then? I didn't say nothing. It wasn't me. It was the gentleman behind me, I guess. Who is it then? Point it out. I have no idea who it was, buddy. My word. You sure it's not you? No. 100%? So you're a coward. You're not going to say it to my face. That's what's up.
So yeah, you mess with an American president, the Secret Service will tackle you. You mess with the Canadian Prime Minister, and he tackles you. And then apologizes to the sidewalk.
