Jacinda Ardern accosted on street in Canada
A video is circulating on social media of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern being accosted on the street in Montreal, Canada.
The former Prime Minister is currently in Montreal for the Global Progress Action Summit, a gathering of left-leaning political figures both past and present.
The video comes from a right-wing journalistic outlet based in Canada, which approached her to discuss alleged “hypocritical behaviour”.
“How much fossil fuel did you use coming here to speak about climate change?” the videographer can be heard questioning her.
She refuses to respond, instead putting her head down to continue walking.
The person attempts to follow her, but security prevents them and asks them to “leave her alone” as she walks indoors.
An argument ensues regarding the man’s right to record Ardern and ask her questions.
Yesterday, she took the stage alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Regarding the progressive approach to rising global crises, Ardern remarked, “We can’t stand there next to a dumpster on fire and not acknowledge that it’s on fire behind us.”
Meanwhile, after resigning from her role as Prime Minister on January 19, Ardern has been in relative obscurity.
At the beginning of April, she delivered a valedictory speech to Parliament which capped more than five years spent as the Prime Minister of New Zealand, marked by a series of tragedies in the mosque attacks, Whakaari/White Island eruption and Covid-19 pandemic - and Ardern’s globally respected responses to them.
At the end of April, Ardern revealed her new Harvard University post specialising in technology governance.
Ardern made the announcement on her Instagram account, confirming she’d been invited to join Harvard University later this year.
In the post, Ardern explained she would take up the first tech governance leadership fellow at the Berkman Klein Centre and work with its research community.
In May, she reflected on her time as head of the country throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in a speech during the opening of the World Health Organisation’s (Who) 76th assembly in Geneva.
