It was a shocking moment in Canada's House of Commons: one member of parliament called another member of parliament a "piece of shit." (And then promptly apologized.)
What drove Justin Trudeau, a Liberal MP from Montreal, to use gutter language during Question Period? The fallout from Canada's widely criticized appearance at the UN climate conference in Durban, South Africa.
In a debate Wednesday over Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol a mere day after the conference ended, environment minister Peter Kent attacked the opposition's environment critic, Megan Leslie, for not attending the Durban summit.
More from GlobalPost: Canada quits Kyoto Protocol a day after Durban climate talks end
Kent had, in fact, effectively banned all opposition MPs from Canada's delegation to the climate summit, breaking with usual practice but seemingly keeping in line with Canada's "bad guy" image at the Durban talks.
Trudeau was incensed by Kent's comments to Leslie, reportedly shouting to him: “Oh, you piece of shit!"
An uproar followed. Trudeau immediately apologized for having "lost his cool."
“I lost my temper and used language that was most decidedly unparliamentary and for that I unreservedly apologize and withdraw my remark,” Trudeau said, according to The Globe and Mail.
Canada's political commentators have had a field day with the "piece of shit" comment, drawing comparisons with a 1971 incident in which Trudeau's father, the late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was accused of having mouthed "fuck off" to opposition MPs in the House of Commons — but claimed he had in fact mouthed "fuddle duddle."
Accordingly, Justin Trudeau's S-bomb has become known as the "shiddle diddle" incident.
More from GlobalPost: COP 17: Canada is the bad guy at climate change talks
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