Laureen Harper interrupted by Toronto activist at cat video festival

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's wife, Laureen, was briefly interrupted during a speech at an online cat video festival in Toronto Thursday night after a university activist demanded she take a stance on a subject she considered to be much more serious.

She was just beginning her brief remarks ahead of Just for Cats: Internet Cat Video Festival at the TIFF BellLightbox cinema when 21-year-old student activist Hailey King beganshouting from the crowd.

Raising awareness about cat welfare is a good look for your husbands upcoming campaign strategy," King said as security rushed over to escort her from the building. "Dont you think supporting government action on missing and murdered indigenous women in this country would be a better look?

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Harper, who initially attempted to dismiss King's comments by speaking over her, did stop to address the young women directly.

Were raising money for animals tonight. If youd like to donate to animals, wed love to take your money," Harper said. "Thats (missing women) a great cause, but that's another night. Tonight were here for homeless cats.

On Twitter afterwards, King tweeted that she thought Harper had "reacted rather rudely to me."

"Speak the truth even if our voice shakesright? My voice was shaking haha," King wrote on Twitter.

Harper is a cat fostermom and volunteers for the Humane Society.

The Just for Cats online video festival was started at theWalker Art Centrein Minneapolis in 2012 and has since exploded in popularity and spreadto other cities.

Funds from Thursday's event , the first staging of the festival in Canada, are going to supportthe Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.