FULL SPEECH:
Former PM Jean Chrétien addresses tariff war during Liberal leadership speech
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien tells Trump to 'stop this nonsense'
OTTAWA — Moments before the new Liberal leader was announced on Sunday, former prime minister Jean Chrétien took to the stage to reprimand U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs and threats to Canada's sovereignty.
Catherine Morrison,
OTTAWA — Moments before the new Liberal leader was announced on Sunday, former prime minister Jean Chrétien took to the stage to reprimand U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs and threats to Canada's sovereignty.
Catherine Morrison,
The Canadian Press
Former prime minister Jean Chretien delivers a speech at the Liberal leadership announcement event in Ottawa, Sunday, March 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA — Moments before the new Liberal leader was announced on Sunday, former prime minister Jean Chrétien took to the stage to reprimand U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs and threats to Canada's sovereignty.
Chrétien warned a crowd of Liberals gathered in Ottawa that Canada’s “long and fruitful” relationship with Americans was falling apart with continued hostility coming from the Trump administration.
The former prime minister applauded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government and Canada’s premiers for their leadership in the last few weeks standing up to Trump’s threats.
He said the government is right to retaliate and said Canadian governments could go even further, hitting Americans "where it really hurts" by imposing an export tax on oil and gas, potash, steel, aluminum and electricity. The money could be used to build up infrastructure, he suggested
Chrétien said the "unjustified" duties will be a lose-lose situation for both Canadians and Americans but that, for Canada, this is about “more than money.”
He urged Canadians to stand up for the country, adding that while Canada is a good neighbour, it’s also a proud and independent country.
“From one old guy to another old guy, stop this nonsense,” Chrétien told the crowd. “Canada will never join the United States.”
Chrétien said Canada will remain “the best country in the world.” He thanked Trump for uniting Canadians "as never before" and joked that he should receive the Order of Canada.
“Historically, despite our friendship, we have had problems but we always found a way to solve them,” he said. “We have worked with and collaborated with the U.S. in the past and I’m telling you we will do so in the future.”
“We are going to be living very difficult times but I’m confident, I’m very confident that the next prime minister will work with the premiers, the leaders of all the political parties in the House of Commons and allies around the world to stand together to meet the challenges that Mr. Trump is creating for the whole world.”
Trump has threatened Canada with tariffs and "economic force" to make it the 51st state.
After imposing and then quickly pausing 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said in a taped interview with Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures" that his plans for broader "reciprocal" tariffs will go into effect April 2.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Former prime minister Jean Chretien delivers a speech at the Liberal leadership announcement event in Ottawa, Sunday, March 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA — Moments before the new Liberal leader was announced on Sunday, former prime minister Jean Chrétien took to the stage to reprimand U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs and threats to Canada's sovereignty.
Chrétien warned a crowd of Liberals gathered in Ottawa that Canada’s “long and fruitful” relationship with Americans was falling apart with continued hostility coming from the Trump administration.
The former prime minister applauded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government and Canada’s premiers for their leadership in the last few weeks standing up to Trump’s threats.
He said the government is right to retaliate and said Canadian governments could go even further, hitting Americans "where it really hurts" by imposing an export tax on oil and gas, potash, steel, aluminum and electricity. The money could be used to build up infrastructure, he suggested
Chrétien said the "unjustified" duties will be a lose-lose situation for both Canadians and Americans but that, for Canada, this is about “more than money.”
He urged Canadians to stand up for the country, adding that while Canada is a good neighbour, it’s also a proud and independent country.
“From one old guy to another old guy, stop this nonsense,” Chrétien told the crowd. “Canada will never join the United States.”
Chrétien said Canada will remain “the best country in the world.” He thanked Trump for uniting Canadians "as never before" and joked that he should receive the Order of Canada.
“Historically, despite our friendship, we have had problems but we always found a way to solve them,” he said. “We have worked with and collaborated with the U.S. in the past and I’m telling you we will do so in the future.”
“We are going to be living very difficult times but I’m confident, I’m very confident that the next prime minister will work with the premiers, the leaders of all the political parties in the House of Commons and allies around the world to stand together to meet the challenges that Mr. Trump is creating for the whole world.”
Trump has threatened Canada with tariffs and "economic force" to make it the 51st state.
After imposing and then quickly pausing 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said in a taped interview with Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures" that his plans for broader "reciprocal" tariffs will go into effect April 2.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Chretien says we should hit the U.S. ‘where it hurts’; and Canada should build a natural gas pipeline from Alberta to Quebec
By Phil Hahn
March 09, 2025
By Phil Hahn
March 09, 2025
CTV
Former PM Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’ and jokes about burning down the White House.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’ and jokes about burning down the White House.
Former prime minister Jean Chretien said Canada had every right to retaliate the way it did in the ongoing trade war with the United States, adding it should hit back even harder by imposing taxes on major exports and using the money to bolster our infrastructure, including a pipeline “from Alberta to Quebec.”
Chretien, 91, took to the stage Sunday evening at the Liberal Party leadership convention in Toronto where Mark Carney was elected in a landslide to become the party’s new head, and Canada’s next prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau.
After touting the Liberal Party’s past accomplishments including medicare, the Charter of Rights, putting Indigenous rights into the Constitution, toughening gun control laws and making same-sex marriage legal, Chretien addressed the “elephant in the room” – the “long and fruitful” friendship between Canada and the U.S. that is now “falling apart before our eyes.”
He said in French that a friendship long characterized by mutual respect and trust has now given way to “wariness and more and more open hostility” by the Trump administration towards Canada.
Hitting ‘where it hurts’
He congratulated the Trudeau government as well as Canada’s premiers for the way they have reacted to the “completely unjustified” tariffs imposed on us by the U.S.
“If necessary, the governments altogether can consider going further,” he said, by hitting America “where it hurts, by imposing an export tax on oil, gas, potash, aluminum and electricity.”
He said Canada could then use the money from the export tax to build infrastructure needed in Canada, “for example, to build a pipeline for natural gas from Alberta (to) Quebec.”
Chretien called the U.S. the most powerful country in the world that has been built upon a rules-based order that has brought us peace and prosperity.
Trump has decided to ‘throw it all out the window’
“It has allowed all of us to sleep well every night, and Donald Trump has decided to throw it all out the window,” he said, calling upon the next prime minister and premiers to continue working together to stand up and meet the challenges that Trump is creating for the world.
Chretien then brought up a lesson from history that could serve as inspiration today: During the Treaty of Paris, in 1776, American negotiators, including Benjamin Franklin, spent a year in Montreal trying to convince the people of Quebec to join the American Revolution. “And he was told by the Francophones, ‘non, merci.’”
In an exclusive interview with CTV Question Period in January, Chretien had appealed for the Liberal Party to go back to the “radical centre” to help its electoral fortunes. When Carney took the stage to accept his victory, he thanked Chretien for his years of service as prime minister for 10 years, between 1993 and 2003.
“You still know how to raise the Liberal party up like no one,” Carney told Chretien from the stage. “You showed us how to stand up. You inspired my family to become Liberals, including my father, to run as a Liberal candidate in Alberta in 1980.”
“Some elections are tougher than others,” said Carney.
Former PM Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’ and jokes about burning down the White House.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’ and jokes about burning down the White House.
Former prime minister Jean Chretien said Canada had every right to retaliate the way it did in the ongoing trade war with the United States, adding it should hit back even harder by imposing taxes on major exports and using the money to bolster our infrastructure, including a pipeline “from Alberta to Quebec.”
Chretien, 91, took to the stage Sunday evening at the Liberal Party leadership convention in Toronto where Mark Carney was elected in a landslide to become the party’s new head, and Canada’s next prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau.
After touting the Liberal Party’s past accomplishments including medicare, the Charter of Rights, putting Indigenous rights into the Constitution, toughening gun control laws and making same-sex marriage legal, Chretien addressed the “elephant in the room” – the “long and fruitful” friendship between Canada and the U.S. that is now “falling apart before our eyes.”
He said in French that a friendship long characterized by mutual respect and trust has now given way to “wariness and more and more open hostility” by the Trump administration towards Canada.
Hitting ‘where it hurts’
He congratulated the Trudeau government as well as Canada’s premiers for the way they have reacted to the “completely unjustified” tariffs imposed on us by the U.S.
“If necessary, the governments altogether can consider going further,” he said, by hitting America “where it hurts, by imposing an export tax on oil, gas, potash, aluminum and electricity.”
He said Canada could then use the money from the export tax to build infrastructure needed in Canada, “for example, to build a pipeline for natural gas from Alberta (to) Quebec.”
Chretien called the U.S. the most powerful country in the world that has been built upon a rules-based order that has brought us peace and prosperity.
Trump has decided to ‘throw it all out the window’
“It has allowed all of us to sleep well every night, and Donald Trump has decided to throw it all out the window,” he said, calling upon the next prime minister and premiers to continue working together to stand up and meet the challenges that Trump is creating for the world.
Chretien then brought up a lesson from history that could serve as inspiration today: During the Treaty of Paris, in 1776, American negotiators, including Benjamin Franklin, spent a year in Montreal trying to convince the people of Quebec to join the American Revolution. “And he was told by the Francophones, ‘non, merci.’”
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien gives U.S. President Trump a ‘history lesson’ and jokes about burning down the White House.
In an exclusive interview with CTV Question Period in January, Chretien had appealed for the Liberal Party to go back to the “radical centre” to help its electoral fortunes. When Carney took the stage to accept his victory, he thanked Chretien for his years of service as prime minister for 10 years, between 1993 and 2003.
“You still know how to raise the Liberal party up like no one,” Carney told Chretien from the stage. “You showed us how to stand up. You inspired my family to become Liberals, including my father, to run as a Liberal candidate in Alberta in 1980.”
“Some elections are tougher than others,” said Carney.
No comments:
Post a Comment