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Justin Trudeau interview crashed by honking geese, to the internet's glee

A gaggle of noisy Canada geese crashed Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's one-on-one interview with Peter Mansbridge and the Internet was quick to weigh in on their motive.

Geese squawked over discussion of deficits and the middle class

Haydn Watters · CBC News ·

Justin Trudeau Interview with Peter Mansbridge

9 years ago
Duration 30:03
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau sits down with Peter Mansbridge for an exclusive interview.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's one-on-one interview with CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge was crashed by a few special guests — a gaggle of noisy Canada geese.

The interview, which aired on The National Tuesday, was the second in a four-part series with each of the federal leaders. The geese honked throughout the 30-minute interview, chiming in over talks of deficits, the middle class and child care benefits.

The honks were fairly sporadic at the onset of the interview. But as it continued, they became much more repetitive and intense.

The Internet was quick to weigh in on the gaggle and their motive.

Some felt it made the interview more... Canadian.

One user questioned if the honks were from geese or not.

CBC News reached out to the Toronto Wildlife Centre and Birds Canada. Both groups identified the honks from the interview as those of Canada geese.

Gregor Beck, a wildlife biologist with Birds Canada, said several of his colleagues had already watched the interview and noted how the honks in the background were incessant.

"[Canada geese] can be pretty persistently vocal sometimes. Yet, other times when they are trying to keep a low profile, they can be very quiet... even secretive," Beck told CBC News in a written statement.  

"Geese in urban settings do tend to be pretty vocal a lot of the time."

Some thought the noisy geese worked in Trudeau's favour...

...while others were not as convinced.

For some, the honks were just downright irritating. The dog of one Canadian Press reporter got a little agitated. 

It's not the first time geese have become a part of the Liberal campaign.

A skein of geese are pictured airlifting a moose on the Liberal party's 404 page (what users land on when a link is broken or cannot be found).

It wasn't all about geese. 

Mansbridge's interview with Trudeau was wide-ranging. They talked about whether the Prime Minister's Office has become too powerful (a trend Trudeau admitted started with his father) and his stance on anti-terror bill C-51. Trudeau also said his first move if elected prime minister in October will be to meet with the premiers to talk climate change.

Some social media users questioned the park setting of the interview. But there is reasoning behind it. The premise behind the interviews with the leaders is that they take place away from the campaign trail "in a venue of their choice." 

That didn't stop some from making jokes about the set up.

And if you're wondering, it appears birds aren't partisan.

One user pointed out that there were also bird noises (and a passing plane) in Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's interview, which aired on The National Monday.

Mansbridge's interviews with NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will air Wednesday and Friday respectively.​ No hints yet as to whether birds will make appearances in those.

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