Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert on Monday night, making his first appearance on late-night U.S. television, and said that many Canadians are “understandably venting their frustrations to me about the rising cost of living.”
Trudeau made those comments after Colbert asked him about Tuesday’s no-confidence motion against his government and the Liberal party’s sagging approval ratings.
“The idea that (Canadians) might want an election now is something my opponent is trying to exploit,” Trudeau told Colbert.
The Conservative party will introduce a motion of no confidence on Tuesday to topple Trudeau’s government and force a federal election, currently set for October 2025. But the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP have already said they will vote against the motion. That vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
After the NDP ended its governing confidence agreement with the Liberals earlier this month, Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre said he would seek a confidence vote “at the earliest possible opportunity.”
In his interview with Colbert, Trudeau said Canada’s economic outlook is “brighter” than the U.S., but “a lot of people don’t feel that when they go to buy groceries, so there’s a lot of frustration.”
Trudeau also addressed Canada’s housing crisis.
“Housing construction in Canada has lagged over the last few decades and some of the issues are a bit troubling,” Trudeau said. “And that makes the housing crisis that much more severe.”
Despite Canadians complaining about not being able to pay for health care, Trudeau cited programs like dental care, pharmaceutical benefits and $10-a-day child care.
During the interview Monday night, Trudeau also touched on the softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States when Colbert asked him what the two countries were “fighting over.”
“So basically, we’re paying too much for lumber because of the tariffs. This just doesn’t make sense,” Trudeau joked to Colbert.
Earlier this year, the United States nearly doubled tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports from 8.05% to 14.54%.
Colbert also questioned Trudeau about Canada’s role on the world stage and the rise of far-right movements around the world.
Prime Minister Trudeau is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
