OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was Saturday heckled by protesters during a townhall as he defended his government s decision to support the expansion of a trans-mountain pipeline through British Columbia (BC).

The prime minister was greeted by a chorus of boos amidst cheers by another section of people as he walked into the Vancouver Island University hall at Nanaimo town in British Columbia during the last lap of his cross country tour, according to CBC.

The reports said Trudeau defended his decision to approve the Kinder Morgan pipeline by justifying his ideas about protecting the environment while ensuring the balanced development of the growing economy.

"We wanted a national carbon reduction plan, a national emissions plan that is going to allow us to reach our climate goals, to reach our Paris [climate accord] commitments," he said.

"But in order to do that, part of moving forward is approving the Kinder Morgan pipeline," Trudeau said. "It is something many people feel very strongly about on either side, but that is the nature of the compromise we had to make in the best interests of Canada.