In an emotional moment, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a heartfelt pledge to continue supporting Canadians despite the ongoing trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trudeau, who is nearing the end of his time as Prime Minister, spoke to the media on Thursday, visibly moved as he emphasized his commitment to putting Canadians first. Trudeau promised that even in his final days in office, he would continue fighting for the country’s interests.
“On a personal level, I 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, we got you, even in the very last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and long into the future,” he said, with tears in his eyes.
Trudeau stressed the importance of unity, saying that the collective strength of Canadians was vital in standing up to a much larger trading partner.
“We want to continue to be strong and resolute in our response and we will continue to be there for each other because the unity that Canadians are feeling right now is actually the most important thing in being able to stand up against the trading partner that is much bigger than us,” he said.
Trudeau highlighted that Canada’s position in the trade war was strong due to the united front of its people. “We are in a moment right now where Canada has a very, very strong bargaining position, because Canadians are so united and unequivocal about standing up for our country, standing up for our fellow citizens, and being very, very firm that this is an absolutely unjustified and unjustifiable trade war launched by the Americans, and that is what we’re going to continue,” he said.
He pledged to keep fighting for the interests of Canadians.
The relationship between Canada and the U.S. has grown increasingly tense, with reports of a heated phone call between Trudeau and Trump just a day before. Despite the tension, President Trump said on Thursday that he would delay some of the planned tariff hikes on goods from Canada and Mexico for a month.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Canada, along with other countries, has been “ripping off” the U.S., and he has downplayed the effects the tariffs might have on American consumers.
“Now, these are countries and companies, foreign companies, that have been ripping us off, and no President did anything about it, until I came along, and I did a lot about it,” he said. “A lot of them are globalist countries and companies that won’t be doing as well, because we’re taking back things that have been taken from us many years ago. We’ve been treated very unfairly as a country.”
Trudeau has strongly criticized the tariffs, calling them “a very dumb thing to do” and suggesting that the trade war could drag on for a while.
In January, Trudeau announced he would step down as Prime Minister before the October election.
“This has been the honor of my life, serving Canadians,” he said.
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