Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got an earful during a photo op from a cash-strapped steelworker who told the leader his policies have left his family scratching to make ends meet.
Footage of the tense exchange in Sault Ste. Marie, a city in Ontario, which was obtained by CTV News, went viral.
The unidentified worker spurned Trudeau’s offer of doughnuts to complain about high taxes, medical bills and giveaways to people he deemed “lazy.”
“The 25% tariffs we just brought in is going to help you out … that’s going to keep your job,” Trudeau told the man.
“What about the 40% taxes I am paying? And I don’t have a doctor,” the employee of Algoma Steel shot back.
Trudeau responded by saying that a multimillion-dollar investment from the Canadian government meant the man would have a job “for many years to come.”
The man responded by saying that he expected Trudeau to be voted out.
“That’s what elections are for,” said the Liberal Party leader, who stayed calm and collected during the exchange. “I look forward to everyone exercising the right to vote. … We are going to invest in you and your job.”
“I don’t believe you for a second,” the steelworker shot back.
The man also mentioned that he felt unemployed Canadians got better access to affordable health care than he did after Trudeau referenced an initiative to help hundreds of thousands of Canadians get dental care.
“Probably like my neighbor who doesn’t go to work because she’s lazy?” the steelworker asked.
“You know what? Most Canadians try to stick up for each other, and that’s what we’ve got to keep doing,” Trudeau responded before wishing the man good luck. At the end, the laborer appeared to refuse a handshake from Trudeau.
The next federal election in Canada is set to take place on Oct. 20, 2025. Trudeau’s government has been scrutinized amid a cost-of-living crisis affecting the country, though Trudeau has remained optimistic.
“Inflation came down last month, beating out expectations,” the prime minister wrote in a Facebook post on July 17.
“But, until Canadians can feel that relief in their wallets, at the grocery store, and on their mortgages, the job’s not done.”
