Chrystia Freeland made an appearance on the American television talk show Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday, where she discussed the Liberal leadership race, U.S.-Canada relations and how she’s ready to take on Donald Trump.
The former deputy prime minister sat down for a 10-minute interview, which immediately started with questions about a potential trade war and Trump’s annexation threats.
Freeland said Canadians were shocked and angered because “the President of the United States is saying repeatedly that he wants to use economic coercion to force us to become the 51st state.”
“Right now, we are a country where four-year-old children are saying, ‘How do we stop this guy from invading my country?’” Freeland said, recalling a story about a worried young girl she met while campaigning in Saskatoon.
“We’re not people who, you know, wear our flag on our lapel, but right now, there is this wave of patriotism … hockey fans are singing ‘Oh, Canada,’ restaurants are pulling U.S. wine from their menu,” she added. “It’s a cold winter, but snowbirds are not flying south.”
READY TO TAKE ON TRUMP
Freeland also discussed the Liberal leadership race and how she’s positioning herself as the candidate who is ready to stand up for Canada and take on Trump.
“I’m saying to Canadians: I can fight for you and I can win,” she added.
Freeland’s comments come one day after the U.S. president called her “a whack” and claimed credit for her resignation as finance minister.
Freeland resigned from cabinet in December – a move which ultimately led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce he was stepping down as Liberal leader.
Trump met with Freeland in his first administration during negotiations on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. Freeland was key in negotiating the continental trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Trump called it “the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA” in a December 2019 social media post but pledged to redo the trade agreement shortly after he was re-elected.
TRUMP’S IMPACT ON CANADA’S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
On Friday’s show, host Bill Maher also raised questions about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his similarities to Trump.
“As soon as the conservative here in America said he was going to invade Canada, suddenly the Conservatives in Canada didn’t look too good,” Maher quipped.
Freeland used the moment to refer to Poilievre as “Maple syrup MAGA” and criticized the opposition leader for imitating Trump.
“He is pretty Trumpy,” Freeland said. “I think he built a campaign on trying to imitate Trump, but now that Canadians see President Trump wanting to turn us into the 51st state, it’s not going so well.”
“Canadians are very smart, and Canadians understand that right now, what we need the most is someone who can stand up for our country,” she added.
When asked about Trudeau’s declining popularity and what she would do differently as prime minister, Freeland suggested that Trudeau had passed his “sell by” date.
“I am an old-school liberal,” Freeland said. “Liberals in Canada win when we are focused on people and on what they need in their lives, and we lose when people think that we’re focused on virtue signaling and identity politics.”
Maher appeared to be pleased with her response but kept pressing for answers about Trudeau’s rapid decline in the polls, “Why did he go and become one of those elitist types?” Maher asked.
“Politicians lose when we think we are smarter than the people we work for,” Freeland explained. “Our job is not to lecture people. That’s not how democracy works.”
Voting for the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada is underway and will end on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
