Former Irish PM Lauds Trudeau’s Legacy as Canadian Leader Steps down
Former Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has offered high praise for Canadian Prime Minister justin Trudeau’s legacy, even as Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, citing internal party struggles. Varadkar’s assessment paints a picture of a consequential leader who navigated complex challenges during his nine years in office.
In a statement following Trudeau’s declaration,varadkar declared,”when his legacy is assessed,he will be seen as one of the great Canadian prime ministers,certainly a consequential one.”
Speaking to RTÉ radio, Varadkar elaborated on Trudeau’s achievements. He highlighted the Prime Minister’s successful renegotiation of NAFTA, stating, “He dealt with [Donald] Trump for four years… and he managed to negotiate a new agreement called the US-NCA which is pretty much the same thing. I think that was quite an achievement.”
Varadkar also lauded Trudeau’s commitment to climate action, noting the courage it took to implement a carbon tax and bring canada into the Paris Agreement, despite meaningful opposition from the country’s powerful oil and gas industry.He further praised Trudeau’s efforts on gun control,a policy area where U.S. politicians have faced considerable hurdles.”Brought in gun control, something politicians south of the US-Canada border have not been successful at doing,” Varadkar pointed out.
The former Irish leader also cited improvements in Canada’s child benefit system and increased access to affordable childcare and healthcare as significant accomplishments under Trudeau’s leadership. While acknowledging the challenges facing Canada – similar to those in other Western nations, such as the high cost of living and housing shortages – Varadkar concluded, “But I think when you look at the broad sweep of what he has achieved over nine years, it is significant and I think he can be proud of what he has achieved.”
The strong relationship between Trudeau and Varadkar was evident in their early interactions. Trudeau was the first world leader to visit Ireland during varadkar’s first term as Taoiseach in 2017, and Canada was the first country Varadkar officially visited as Taoiseach. The parallels between their departures, both citing a feeling of no longer being the best person for the job, were also discussed. However, varadkar noted that Fine Gael’s polling numbers were not as dire as those of the Canadian Liberals at the time of his resignation.
Reflecting on the various paths a leader can take, Varadkar quoted New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern: “If you’re a prime minister, if you’re a head of government, there’s only three ways you go: you die, you lose an election or you resign, and if you resign it’s either by choice or by force.”
