0:05
every morning I've woken up as prime
0:06
minister I've been inspired by the
0:11
generosity and the determination of
0:15
Canadians it is the driving force of
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every single day I have the privilege of
0:22
office that is why since
0:25
2015 I've fought for this country for
0:30
to strengthen and grow the middle
0:33
class why we rallied to support each
0:36
other through the pandemic to advance
0:40
reconciliation to defend free trade on
0:43
this continent to stand strong with
0:48
democracy and to fight climate change
0:50
and get our economy ready for the
0:53
future we are at a critical moment in
1:00
friends as you all know I'm a fighter
1:04
every bone in my body has always told me
1:06
to fight because I care deeply about
1:11
Canadians I care deeply about this
1:13
country and I will always be motivated
1:17
by what is in the best interest of
1:21
Canadians and the fact is despite best
1:25
efforts to work through it Parliament
1:29
has been par paralyzed for
1:31
months after what has been the longest
1:34
session of a minority parliament in
1:38
history that's why this morning I advise
1:42
the governor general that we need a new
1:46
parliament she has granted this request
1:50
and the house will now be prorogued
1:57
holidays I've also had a chance to
2:00
reflect and have had long talks with my
2:05
future throughout the course of my
2:07
career any success I have personally
2:10
achieved has been because of their
2:13
support and with their
2:16
encouragement so last night over dinner
2:19
I told my kids about the decision that
2:25
today I intend to resign as party leader
2:31
minister after the party selects its
2:34
next leader through a robust Nationwide
2:40
process last night I asked the president
2:43
of the Liberal Party to begin that
2:47
process this country deserves a real
2:50
choice in the next election and it has
2:52
become clear to me that if I'm having to
3:00
the best option in that
3:04
election the Liberal Party of Canada is
3:06
an important institution in the history
3:09
of our great country and
3:11
democracy a new prime minister and
3:13
leader of the liberal party will carry
3:16
its values and ideals into that next
3:20
election I'm excited to see the process
3:27
ahead we were elected for the third time
3:31
20221 to strengthen the economy post
3:34
pandemic and advanced Canada's interests
3:37
in a complicated world and that is
3:41
exactly the job that I and we will
3:48
Canadians as you all know I am a fighter
3:52
and I am not someone who backs away from
3:54
a fight particularly when a fight is as
3:57
important as this one is
4:01
but I have always been driven by my love
4:05
for Canada by my desire to serve
4:08
Canadians and by what is in the best
4:11
Canadians and Canadians deserve a real
4:15
choice in the next elction and it has
4:18
become obvious to me with uh the
4:21
internal battles uh that I cannot be the
4:25
one to carry the liberal standard into
4:30
we got elected in 2015 to fight for the
4:32
middle class and that's exactly what
4:35
we've done over the past years we
4:38
reduced their taxes we uh increased the
4:41
benefits to families we made sure the
4:44
economy was focused on working for
4:46
everyone and not just a few and that has
4:50
changed that has dropped poverty rates
4:52
in Canada that has uh brought more
4:55
people into the workforce that has uh
4:57
moved us forward on reconciliation a in
5:02
has deeply improved the opportunities
5:05
and success of Canadians despite the
5:08
incredibly difficult times the world is
5:12
now um there's lots more work to be done
5:17
and I know uh that this party in this
5:19
country and Canadians will keep doing
5:23
it if I have one regret particularly as
5:26
we approach this election well there
5:28
probably many Reg RS that I will think
5:31
of but I do wish that we've been able to
5:35
change the way we elect our governments
5:40
in this country so that people could
5:42
simply choose a second choice or a third
5:45
choice on the same ballot so that
5:48
parties would spend more time trying to
5:49
be people's second or third
5:54
and people would have been looking for
5:56
things they have in common instead of
5:58
trying to polarize and divide Canadians
6:01
against each other I think in this time
6:04
figuring out how to pull together and
6:07
find Common Ground remains something
6:10
that is really important for democracies
6:12
but I could not change unilaterally
6:16
without support of other parties our
6:18
electoral system that wouldn't have been
6:21
responsible Pier pov's vision for this
6:29
is not the right one for
6:32
Canadians stopping the fight against
6:35
climate change doesn't make
6:40
sense backing off on the
6:44
values and strength and diversity that
6:49
Canada has always always worked to pull
6:52
itself together on is not the right path
6:55
for the country attacking journalists
7:01
institutions that's not what Canadians
7:04
moment we need an ambitious optimistic
7:08
view of the future and Pierre POV is not
7:12
offering that and I look forward uh to
7:16
the fight as progressives across this
7:19
country stand up for the kind of vision
7:23
for a better country that Canadians have
7:26
always carried despite the
7:30
tremendous pressures around the world to
7:35
smaller to Veer towards the hard right
7:42
ambitious for what we can be and do as a
7:45
country when the world really needs
7:47
Canada in 2008 the governor general
7:55
that because the very last times
8:02
weeks that the confidence of the house
8:08
tested it had passed that confidence
8:11
test stepen Harper continued to have the
8:14
confidence of the house and it actually
8:15
would bear out because as soon as they
8:18
came back from the prorogation Stephen
8:20
Harper won a confidence vote once again
8:24
so a political document or political
8:27
speeches doesn't carry the kind of
8:32
um winning a confidence vote means but
8:36
this prorogation will take us only into
8:40
March and there will be confidence votes
8:45
March uh in the passing of
8:48
Supply that will allow Parliament to
8:53
confidence um in a way that is entirely
8:56
in keeping with all the principles of
9:00
democracy and uh the workings of our
9:06
institutions parliamentary press gallery
9:08
and anyone who's been watching politics
9:11
closely over the past n months will know
9:15
that Parliament has been entirely
9:24
filibustering and a total lack of
9:27
productivity uh over the past few months
9:31
we are right now the longest serving
9:33
minority government in history and it's
9:36
time for a reset it's time for the
9:42
down for the people to have a fresh
9:45
start in Parliament to be able to
9:49
navigate through these complex times
9:51
both domestically and
9:53
internationally and the reset that we
9:56
have is actually two parts one is
10:01
prorogation but the other part is
10:03
recognizing that removing me from the
10:07
equation as the leader who will fight
10:10
the next election for the Liberal Party
10:13
should also decrease the level of
10:16
polarization that we're seeing right now
10:18
in the house and in in Canadian politics
10:21
and allow people to actually focus on
10:24
serving Canadians uh in this house and
10:27
with their work uh the way Canadians
10:30
deserve uh I have a tremendous amount of
10:34
confidence uh in both Canadians and in
10:38
parliamentarians uh interest in serving
10:41
Canadians in the right way there are
10:46
um we're in a minority government right
10:49
now uh and there hasn't been an active
10:52
leadership in a minority government in
10:56
more than 50 years in this country uh
10:59
and there is always going to be the
11:00
challenge of having a uh leadership race
11:06
while a parliament would face confidence
11:09
votes uh in in uh in the course of of
11:14
delivering supply to the government so
11:18
this is something that we're going to
11:20
navigate through but I truly feel that
11:29
around uh my own continued
11:32
leadership is an opportunity to bring
11:35
the temperature down uh have a
11:39
government that will focus on the
11:41
complex issues that are coming forward
11:45
in the coming months while the party
11:48
gets to have a full National process
11:52
that brings in people from right across
11:56
country uh and makes a det determination
11:59
about the best person to carry the
12:04
progressive Li liberal standard into the
12:06
next election the government will still
12:10
and the cabinet will still be very much
12:13
focused on doing the job the Canadians
12:18
2021 uh which is fight for their
12:21
interests stand up for their well-being
12:24
and make sure uh that they are good and
12:28
that Canadians are are protected and
12:31
strong um you there will be a leadership
12:35
process and the rules will uh unfold
12:38
over the coming weeks but I can assure
12:41
you that uh the tools and the need to
12:45
stand up for Canadians to protect
12:48
Canadians uh in their interests and
12:51
continue to fight for the economy is
12:53
something that everyone in this
12:55
government will be singularly focused on
