WATCH: Trudeau gives strange pause before answering question about Trump, protests

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded with a lengthy pause when asked about President Donald Trump's call for military action against protestors and the use of tear gas in order to make way for a photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church.

Tom Parry of CBC News asked the question: "I'd like to ask you what you think about that [Trump's actions], and if you don't want to comment, what message do you think you're sending?"

Trudeau paused for 20 seconds without saying a word before giving his answer:

"We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States. It is a time to pull people together, but it is a time to listen, is a time to learn what injustices continue despite progress over years and decades."

"But it is a time for us as Canadians to recognize that we, too, have our challenges, that black Canadians and racialized Canadians face discrimination as a live reality every single day."

"There is systemic discrimination in Canada, which means our systems treat Canadians of color, Canadians who are racialized differently than they do others."

Trudeau went on to say that racism was something "many of us don't see," but that it nevertheless a lived experience for racialized Canadians.