OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that freedom, democracy and Canada "are not a given" in his farewell speech to Liberals just before former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney was announced as the new Liberal leader.
This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada with economic annexation and places tariffs on Canadian imports coming into the United States.
"This is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom, it's not a given. Canada is not a given. None of those happen by accident. None of them will continue without effort," Trudeau said.
"It takes courage, it takes sacrifice, it takes hope and hard work."
In his near decade-long tenure as prime minister, Trudeau ushered the country through a global pandemic, renegotiation with the U.S. of Canada's most important free-trade deal and a destabilized geopolitical environment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It's this ability to respond to a crisis that cabinet colleagues and convention attendees said will stand out when Trudeau's legacy is examined.
"I've been looking back at the last decade that we've been working together and it's quite extraordinary. We went from a financial crisis, to a COVID crisis, to the biggest challenge to Canada from the United States of America," Innovation Minister Francis Philippe Champagne said.
"I think history will be kind to him as someone who stood up for Canada, as someone who provided great leadership at very dire times for Canada."
Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who is a personal friend of Trudeau, said the outgoing prime minister put a greater focus on reconciliation than any of his predecessors.
"There's been some criticisms, but he will be remembered as the guy who essentially really, really gave some acceleration to reconciliation with Indigenous people," Miller said.
Tina Noel, a retired history teacher from the Ottawa Valley, said at the Sunday convention that after a challenging period for the Liberal party that led to Trudeau's resignation, it's ironic he's leaving on a high.
"On the day to day, he kind of flip-flopped a few times where his leadership was in question. But when push comes to shove, Justin stepped up and people were amazed at the end," she said.
Those challenges dogged Trudeau in his final months leading the Liberals, as backbench MPs like New Brunswick's Wayne Long pushed for Trudeau to step down.
Still, Long said he thinks that Trudeau will be judged well by history.
"The list of greatest hits with the Canada Child Benefit, dental care, the ($10 a day) childcare plan, massive investments in housing, cannabis, all those things I think have made Canada a better place," Long said.
"I believe that over years seven, eight and nine he surrounded himself with less and less people. He was less open to hear other people's opinions. We felt it in caucus."
Long said he felt that "moralizing" positions held by the government divided Canadians and now it is time to turn a new page.
That new page will see an end the consumer carbon price, a signature policy from the Trudeau government. Carney has pledged to remove it.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made the carbon price a central salvo in his attacks on the government's record, and rode that momentum to a 20-point lead in the polls for more than a year.
Trudeau weathered the storm of leadership questions he faced until Dec. 16, 2024 when Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister, hours before she was set to table a major economic statement.
On Jan. 6, Trudeau resigned, saying internal party battles were a distraction to good governance. His prorogation killed multiple bills, and prevented a confidence vote that would likely plunge the country into an election.
Ella Grace Trudeau, his daughter, introduced the prime minister on Sunday before he made his final speech as Liberal leader.
"I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing more of him at home and less of him online, but I would never trade the last few years for anything. Dad, I'm so proud of you," she said.
Trudeau did not talk about his own record too much in his farewell speech, instead focusing on the future of the party.
However, he did nod to the challenges Canada has faced from the last decade, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and said he's confident Canada will emerge from this latest existential challenge even stronger.
"Canadians have shown who they are. We pulled together. We've stood up for each other every single time we emerged even stronger," Trudeau said.
Now, the Liberals get ready for the first election in a decade without Trudeau at the helm, he says that you should never count the Liberals out.
"You remember where we were 15 years ago with just 35 seats in the House. You remember our ups and downs and all those times that people counted us out, all the times they said our party was on its last breath," Trudeau told the crowd.
"Like all Canadians, it's when you try to count us out that we Liberals show our true mettle."
In recent days, Trudeau has gotten teary speaking about his time in office coming to an end but has kept his focus on his job and serving Canadians.
While he has not said what's next, Miller said that Trudeau is in a good place.
"He's in a good space, and he's really eagerly looking to the next chapter in what he's going to do. I think he's actually going to take some time and try to chill a bit," Miller said.
"But we'll see him again in a role where he's trying to fight for his ideals and fight for Canadians."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 9, 2025.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
