B.C. Premier Christy Clark spoke out against a man that could be the next president of the United States on Friday, calling some comments he made during his campaign "absolutely disgraceful."
Clark spoke at the We for She conference, an annual gathering of women's organizations, companies, experts, business leaders, advocates and women who are trying to advance gender equality.
Speaking at the Vancouver Convention Centre, she addressed what she called the toxic nature of the current U.S. political scene.
Clark spoke about lewd remarks made by Republican nominee Donald Trump in a video recorded in 2005 and released earlier this month. The video shows Trump making crude comments about a married woman he tried to seduce, and about touching women without their consent.
He apologized last week for the comments, likening them to "locker room talk," and "nothing more than a distraction."
As a woman in politics, Clark was asked what she thought about Trump's comments in the video and about his response to allegations of sexual assault from multiple women.
"I think it's absolutely disgraceful," she said.
"When he called it just locker room talk that every man engages in, he insulted every decent man in America."
She said she doesn't believe that most men talk that way, and to present it as commonplace is a "terrible thing for women to hear," even if it's not true.
Clark said the only way to make a difference is for more women to get involved in politics, but that the presidential election may actually discourage women and girls from careers in politics.
She spoke about attacks being hurled at Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, saying that the personal nature of some allegations might prevent women from running for public office.
"I think what you see happening in the states right now with how bad that's gotten, how toxic and ugly it is, I can't help but think that's going to scare a lot more women out of it," she said of the campaign.
Clark said a large part of the political attacks are being directed at Clinton because she's a woman.
She's faced criticisms because of her husband, former president Bill Clinton, although she has an extensive record of public service. Trump has made several references to Bill's sexual misdeeds, including his impeachment in 1998 for lying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
She's also been the butt of jokes about her clothing, attractiveness and body size.
Current President Barack Obama spoke out last month, telling Fox News reporters that he's been "frustrated" with how the public and other politicians don't give her credit.
"Part of it may be because she's a woman, and we have not elected a woman president before," he said.
Earlier this year, Trump accused Clinton of playing the "women's card," saying she wouldn't be doing as well in the race if she wasn't a woman.
Despite the role that gender can play in politics, Clark called on women to look past what she called "ugliness," encouraging them to "take it on the chin" so that women of the future don't have to.
"The only way for women to be equal in society and treated with respect is if more of us step forward and decide to be the change," she said.
