Majority of seats empty during Trudeau’s speech to European Parliament

Video posted by Global News's David Akin shows the majority of seats in Parliament empty. The Parliament seats 705 MEPs with Akin predicting that about 200 were filled.

"As [Justin Trudeau] enters the European Parliament, I count about 200 of the 705 MEPs are in their seats. Gallery however is packed," tweeted Akin with the video.

The prime minister addressed the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium during a two-day visit, where he will attend meetings of G7 and NATO leaders concerning the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau specifically attacked the February Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, saying that leaders We're seeing a rise in cynical populists who are trying to exploit" anxieties.

Trudeau went discussed Putin's authoritarianism, saying that "we cannot let Ukraine down. They are counting on us. So let’s use all the tools we have at our disposal."

Trudeau also took time to criticize the Freedom Convoy protests that took place in Ottawa throughout February.

"They pretend to have easy solutions that play on people's fears. Even in Canada, where 90 percent of people are vaccinated, and our motto as a country 'peace, order, and good government,' we saw anti-vaccine and antigovernment protest evolve into illegal occupations of our communities and blockades of our borders," said Trudeau, who said that the leaders of the convoys were "effective in turning citizens with real anxieties against the system bet suited to allay those concerns."

Trudeau said that democracy "isn't a game," and that there are no easy solutions to the "big, complex problems we're all facing."

Trudeau would go on to discuss Canada's commitment to fighting the weakening of democracies, saying that there is "work that lies before us" for those committed to democracy.