Watch | ‘Put Canadians first’: PM Justin Trudeau breaks down during farewell speech, says ‘this is the job I signed up for’

“On a personal level, I have made sure that every single day in this office, I put Canadians first, that I have people’s backs. That’s why I am here to tell you all that we got you. Even in the very last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and long into the future,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau also talked about the complicated issues during his tenure, mentioning the election win of US President Donald Trump, the “once in a century” pandemic, Ukraine war and the West Asia situation.

“I’ve had ten years of Donald Trump, one. Historic once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, inflation crises, war in Ukraine as Russia returns to war in Europe, as the Middle East is facing an extraordinary difficult situation. These have been complicated times. This is the job I signed up for. This is the job I will continue to do until the very last moment.”

The outgoing premier’s speech came after Trump’s decision to suspend new tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, providing relief to consumers and businesses after the hike in taxes caused turmoil in the stock markets. Canada, however, will continue to keep its initial retaliatory tariffs of 25% against the United States, but has decided to halt its second wave of tariffs following Trump’s executive order delaying some duties.

The first set of tariffs is levied on various US goods, including orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles, and pulp and paper products.

The second set of tariffs, now halted, would have targeted US electric vehicles, fruits, vegetables, dairy, beef, pork, electronics, steel, and trucks.

Trudeau announced his resignation as the country’s Prime Minister and the head of the Liberal Party in January amid poor approval ratings and weakened support within his party.

The Liberal Party will choose a successor to Trudeau on Sunday, who is likely to lead the party into the elections set for October. The new leader will be important in managing relations with the United States under President Donald Trump.