Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes his first appearance The Late Show with Stephen Colbert On Monday, he announced his intention to run for re-election, despite facing existential challenges to his leadership and growing “dissatisfaction” from Canadians struggling with the cost of living.
Asked in a late-night talk show interview the day before the no-confidence motion was filed against his government, Trudeau said he believed the rising cost of living was to blame when his political opponents tried to force him out of power after nearly a decade.
“Yes, it’s a really tough time in Canada right now. People are struggling. They’re struggling to buy groceries, pay their rent, put gas in the pump. Housing construction has slowed down a little bit over the last few decades, which makes the housing crisis even worse,” he said.
People “look at change from time to time”
Trudeau said he believes Canada’s economic outlook is slightly brighter than the U.S. “at a macro level,” but acknowledged Canadians “don’t feel that when they’re buying groceries.”
“The idea that people are frustrated and maybe want an election now is something my opponent is trying to exploit, because people have a lot of frustrations with me for understandable reasons. I’ve been here and I’ve weathered all of this well, but sometimes people want a change,” he continued.
Trudeau said he was determined to “keep fighting” to extend his term as prime minister.
The exchange was the most testy in a largely upbeat interview that comes at a time when the prime minister faces a much darker mood in Ottawa, where Trudeau’s government is expected to face a motion of no confidence from the Conservatives on Tuesday. He has a double-digit lead in the polls.
If passed, the motion would be the first step towards an early general election, but it is destined to fail as the NDP and Bloc Québécois have already indicated they will reject the motion and allow the Liberal Party to continue in power.
Still, the political drama will be a new test of Trudeau’s leadership after a tough summer that ended with the Liberal party losing its governing agreement with the New Democrats and two long-held seats in by-elections.
Aside from a brief exchange about the no-confidence motion, Colbert and Trudeau spent much of Monday’s interview joking about the little questions Americans might have about Canadians, like why Canadian pennies end up in Americans’ pockets, whether Canadian bacon is the same as ham and whether the country “burned” money with pictures of the late Queen Elizabeth after her death in 2022.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is expected to survive a no-confidence motion on Tuesday with the support of the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois, but Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre has made it clear he will continue trying to force an election as soon as possible.
Trudeau missed the opportunity to criticize Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre when Colbert said he had called him “Canada’s Trump,” instead responding with common campaign talking points about Liberal policies on climate change, dental care and $10-a-day child care.
Trudeau also played down a joke about a false conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, a joke repeated by former US President Donald Trump during a presidential debate.
“I intend to get past that issue very quickly,” Trudeau said.
Colbert did not ask Trudeau to offer his opinion on the upcoming U.S. presidential election between President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on member states to work together to find solutions to cross-border problems such as inequality, climate change and inflation.
The interview was filmed when Trudeau met with world leaders in New York ahead of the 78th United Nations General Assembly. Late Show The show is primarily aimed at a US audience but also airs in Canada, and clips of the interviews are also shared on Instagram and TikTok, where the show has nearly 5 million followers.
Show host RuPaul Charles RuPaul’s Drag Racewas also a guest on Monday but did not interact with Trudeau, who appeared on the Canadian version of the drag queen competition series last year.
