Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is doubling down on the work before him as Canada’s leader just hours after his second in command, Chrystia Freeland, as well as Housing Minister Sean Fraser, tendered their resignation from cabinet.
Trudeau spoke for the first time following the resignation of Freeland as deputy premier and finance minister at a Dec. 16 Liberal fundraiser hosted by the Laurier Club in Gatineau, Que.
And while he didn’t reference the departures of Freeland and Fraser from cabinet or the subsequent calls from some caucus members for his resignation, he acknowledged it hadn’t “been an easy day.”
“There is no place I'd rather be than Canada, and it is the absolute privilege of my life to serve as your Prime Minister,” he told the crowd during the evening speech. “Canada is the best country on earth, but it’s not perfect. That’s why I wake up every single day thinking about how to make this nation work better for all Canadians, that mission to consistently put in the work so that we’re living up to our ideals and values.”
Trudeau said he continues to have confidence in both the direction the country is headed and in its residents.
“I love Canadians. I love Canada. I love it deeply,” he said. “And I would not want to be prime minister anywhere else.”
Freeland’s exit from the finance portfolio earlier in the day has led to increased calls for Trudeau’s resignation among Liberal caucus members.
Freeland wrote in her Dec. 16 resignation letter that the government should be “eschewing costly political gimmicks,” and “keeping our fiscal powder dry,” adding that she and the prime minister have been “at odds about the best path forward for Canada.”
Trudeau, Poilievre Trade Barbs
Even if Trudeau’s future as prime minister remains in question, he gave no sign of that during his evening speech in Gatineau.Trudeau used his time on stage to herald national programs like dental care and the school food program as well as his climate change initiatives as hallmarks of his party’s dedication to making the country a better place to live. He also referenced the Canada child benefit, $10-a-day child care, and “the most ambitious housing plan in decades” as examples of the party’s “hard work.”
“I cannot emphasize enough just how … proud I am of what we have done over the past nine years,” he said.
He also dedicated part of his speech to criticizing the Conservative party and its leader Pierre Poilievre. He accused Poilievre of using slogans to hide a “radical” vision for the country that included cutting services for Canadians.
He also accused Poilievre of being “uninterested in building more homes, delivering vital supports, creating good jobs, or even as we saw with his opposition to our GST tax break, he’s opposed to even cutting taxes.”
Poilievre told reporters the Liberal government was “spiralling out of control” at a time when it should be focused on addressing the incoming U.S. administration’s threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada.
Poilievre said Canada should not be faced with “this kind of chaos, division, weakness, while we’re staring down the barrel of a 25 percent tariff from our biggest trading partner.” He said there needs to be an election so Canadians can choose the leader they want to navigate uncharted waters.
Neither Freeland nor Trudeau were in the House of Commons for question period Dec. 16, prompting Poilievre to needle the Liberals for not having a finance minister.
“I have a question for the finance minister,” he said, looking across to Freeland’s empty seat. “Who are you?”
Trudeau has since tapped Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc to fill the hole left by Freeland’s resignation. LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister late Dec. 16 at a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
