Ottawa:
The glimpses of a teared-up Justin Trudeau marks one of his final moments as the Prime Minister of Canada before his Liberal Party chooses a new successor to ride through the wave of tariffs levied by the Trump administration in the US.
The outgoing premier – who has been in power for nearly a decade – broke down in front of the camera on Thursday while delivering his farewell speech. In a rousing speech, he said he put “Canadians first” every single day as the prime minister and won’t let them down in the future as well.
“On a personal level, I have made sure that every single day in this office, I put Canadians first, that I have people’s backs. That’s why I am here to tell you all that we got you. Even in the very last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and long into the future,” Trudeau said.
NEW: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau starts crying in front of reporters.
Pathetic.
“I’ve made sure that every single day in this office, I put Canadians first, that I have people’s backs.”
“And that’s why I’m here to tell you all that we got you. Even in the very last… pic.twitter.com/3v2pUrt4EN
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 6, 2025
Trudeau had announced his resignation in January amid growing internal dissent and declining popularity ratings. He remains the interim prime minister until his successor takes over.
The Liberal Party is expected to name its next leader on Sunday, who would carry the party into the elections due by October – and more importantly, engage with the US under President Donald Trump.
Trudeau also warned of Trump’s tariff threat in his speech and called for unity among Canadians to overcome the tough times ahead. The two leaders had sparred earlier with Trump suggesting that Canada becomes the 51st state of the US, and calling Trudeau a “Governor”.
His speech came after Trump paused new tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports to give reprieve to consumers and companies after the increased taxes rattled equities markets. The US and Canada have each announced 25% tariffs on each other’s imports in a precursor to a tariff war – which is now on hold till April 2.
Trudeau denounced Trump’s aggressive politics and said Canadians and Mexicans must prosper for “America First” to become a reality. Both sides must win, he said, suggesting that’s how international trade and bilateral ties work, thought not in real estate deals.
