Trudeau’s farewell: A divisive leader now calling for unity

Trudeau’s farewell: A divisive leader now calling for unity By Sami Parvez Justin Trudeau has changed his tone towards Canada and Canadians following the announcement of his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister on Jan. 6, 2025. Trudeau has long been perceived as favoring only those who supported him while showing disdain for his opponents. Within his own caucus, anyone who stood up to him was shown the exit door, as exemplified by former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould. His shift in tone comes amid heightened tensions with the United States. After Donald Trump called for the annexation of Canada and imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, Trudeau called for national unity to oppose the tariffs. “This is a moment of pride. This is a moment of pulling together. This is a moment for Canada to be solid in our identity, in our sovereignty and in our presence, for our friends and neighbours,” Trudeau told reporters during a visit to Paris for the AI summit on Feb. 11, 2025. Since winning the U.S. presidential election in Nov. 2024, Donald Trump has pushed for tariffs on Canada and suggested it become the 51st U.S. state, citing concerns over defense spending and border security. On Feb. 1, 2025, he signed executive orders imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports, with a reduced 10% tariff on Canadian energy products. In response, Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs worth $155 billion. Following a phone call between the two leaders, Trump agreed to pause the tariffs for 30 days. However, on March 12, 2025, he will impose 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports from Canada. Trudeau’s efforts to position himself as a defender of Canada against Trump’s aggressive trade policies stand in stark contrast to how he treated his own citizens during times of domestic unrest. While he now calls for national unity, his past actions have sown deep divisions within Canada itself. One of the most striking examples was his response to the Freedom Convoy protests in 2022. Instead of listening to the concerns of working-class Canadians frustrated by his government’s heavy-handed COVID-19 mandates, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. He labeled the protesters as extremists and crushed the movement through financial restrictions and police intervention. During the 2021 snap election campaign, Trudeau told a Quebec television station that those who refused COVID-19 vaccinations were often racist and misogynistic extremists. “They don’t believe in science or progress and are very often misogynistic and racist,” he said in French in Sept. 2021. In 2019, Trudeau acknowledged that Canada had committed genocide against Indigenous peoples, specifically regarding the findings of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) inquiry. However, in 2021, when the House of Commons voted 266-0 to declare that China was committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslim minority, Trudeau and his Cabinet abstained, arguing that the term “genocide” is “extremely loaded” and that certain standards must be met before it can be formally used. This inconsistency drew criticism. For months in 2021, flags on federal buildings were flown at half-mast following the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential school sites, including on Canada Day. While this was meant as a solemn acknowledgment of past injustices, it also sparked debate over how Canada should balance recognition of its history with national pride. As Trudeau's time in office is coming to an end, Canadians should reflect on his leadership. Instead of uniting the country, he used political wedges to keep us divided based on vaccine status, religion, gender, and race. He will be remembered as one of the most divisive leaders in Canadian history. Before anything else, we are Canadians, and we should take pride in that. Canada is the land of opportunity, and freedom is our identity. As Sir Wilfrid Laurier once said, “Canada is free, and freedom is its nationality.” February 15 is National Flag of Canada Day, a time to proudly wear or fly the maple leaf as a symbol of our national pride. Let it be flown proudly from coast to coast to coast. O Canada!.