Former Irish Fine Gael politician; Leo Varadkar, has stated that Justin Trudeau would be regarded as one of Canada’s great prime ministers.
When evaluating Mr. Trudeau’s legacy, Mr. Varadkar said, “He will be seen as one of the great Canadian prime ministers, certainly a consequential one.” He also lauded his time in office. He stated on RTÉ radio: “I do think he was a prime minister who achieved a lot for Canada.
“You mentioned Donald Trump, he dealt with him for four years, Donald Trump was going to get rid of NAFTA, get rid of the trade agreement between the USA, Canada, and Mexico, 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.
“He was very good on climate, had the courage to bring in a carbon tax and bring Canada into the Paris accords, and bear in mind, there’s a really strong lobby in Canada – oil industry, gas industry, all of that.
“Brought in gun control, something politicians south of the US-Canada border have not been successful at doing.
“Brought in a Canadian system of child benefit which I think has made a difference in the lives of children and families and also improved access to affordable childcare and healthcare.”
Although he acknowledged Canada’s issues, he claimed that they were comparable to those of other Western nations, including migration, housing shortages, and the expense of living. He went on to say: “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.”
Canada was the first country Mr. Leo Varadkar visited formally in his new position as taoiseach, and Mr. Trudeau was the first world leader to visit Ireland during his tenure.
Although serving as Taoiseach had been “the most fulfilling time” of his life, Mr. Varadkar announced his resignation in March, stating that he no longer thought he was the ideal candidate for the position.
When asked if his exit and Mr. Trudeau’s were similar, he responded that Fine Gael was not as far behind the Canadian Liberals in the polls.
He stated: “I remember one prime minister, [New Zealand’s] Jacinda Ardern, stepped down after six years, I remember her saying to me once, if you’re a prime minister, if you’re a head of government, there are 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.”