Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the right decision by choosing to resign, but that his choice to remain leader until his successor is chosen is a “profoundly responsible” one.
“It was the right decision for the nation, the right decision for Canadians. This is something that has been at the top of his mind as he’s been asked to reflect on what the best course is for the country,” Miller said during an interview with CTV News on Jan. 7.
On Jan. 6, Trudeau announced he would be resigning as prime minister once the Liberal Party had chosen his successor, and that he had asked Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to prorogue Parliament until March 24. Miller, who has been close friends with Trudeau for several decades, said he believed Trudeau’s decision to step down had been “extremely” difficult.
“His reflection over the course of the last few months—and particularly, more acutely, over the last few weeks—has been one concern; not on his own political legacy or any attempts to hang on to power, as has been suggested, but fundamentally—to a fault—about what’s best for the country,” Miller said.
Miller said after his resignation announcement, Trudeau had hosted a “deeply emotional” cabinet meeting, where he elected to be on a cabinet sub-committee on Canada-U.S. relations. The immigration minister said Trudeau “technically does not have to be part of” the committee, but that he chose to do this in response to the looming threat of U.S. tariffs.
“He does care about that interim period that we are currently in, where we have a huge threat looming over our heads, of job-killing tariffs that the Trump administration has threatened to put on us,” Miller said. He added that given the tariff threats, Trudeau’s decision to remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen “was a profoundly responsible one.”
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Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico if they do not take sufficient action to secure their borders and stop the flow of illegal drugs and illegal immigration. In recent days, Trump has also escalated his rhetoric that Canada should become the “51st” U.S. state, including by saying on Jan. 7 that he would use “economic force” to make that happen.
Miller was also asked whether he would be joining the Liberal Party’s leadership race, but he said he is “too focused on the job” of immigration minister to consider it. “I would not do that, to a venture leadership bid,” he said.
