Former prime minister Jean Chrétien is warning that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy because the U.S. president “does not care much about the rule of law,” and that “could cause a lot of problems south of the border.”
“Western society is built on the rule of law,” Chrétien said in an interview with CBCâs The House. “When there is no more rule of law, itâs blackmail on a daily basis, and itâs not working.”
Chrétien noted Trump will not be in office forever, but added heâs not sure what the final result will be when the dust settles.
Asked by host Catherine Cullen whether world leaders should be more vocal about Trumpâs behaviour, Chrétien said Canada needs to fight for its values but noted there are challenges since the country needs to sell its materials.
“Itâs complicated â and the world will be different â and weâll have to adjust,” the former Liberal prime minister said.
However, Chrétien noted Canada has persevered in the face of serious threats in the past, and will do so again.
“We had terrorism in Europe and murder all the time and so on. We looked back and we went through it … so I think weâll manage again,â he said.
Chrétien has admonished Trump in the past, especially after the U.S. president called former prime minister Justin Trudeau “governor,” and mused about annexing Canada and making it the 51st state.
FULL SPEECH: Former PM Jean Chrétien addresses tariff war during Liberal leadership speech
During a speech at the 2025 Liberal leadership convention, Chrétien declared Canada “will never join the United States,” and told Trump, “From one old guy to another old guy: Stop this nonsense.”
Chrétien also noted that Trump’s behaviour toward Canada has united the country “as never before.”
“So I want to say thank you to him,” Chrétien said before joking that Trump should receive the Order of Canada.
During his interview with The House, Chrétien insisted Trumpâs trade war continues to unite the country despite some provinces clashing this week over how to respond to the U.S. presidentâs tariffs and Chinese duties.
Earlier this week, B.C. Premier David Eby called on the federal government to pay more attention to Canadaâs softwood lumber industry, now subject to tariffs totalling 45 per cent.Â
Eby expressed some anxiety about the situation, adding that often, provinces like Ontario and Quebec are front of mind for federal leaders â leaving B.C. and issues that primarily affect British Columbians all but forgotten.
B.C. premier calls on Ottawa to treat lumber tariffs as national emergency
Chrétien noted the long history of different levels of government blaming higher powers, “and itâs no worse today than it was beforeâ¦. That does not say that we donât have problems, we always have problems.
“If youâre a provincial government and you have difficulties, you look around â easy, attack the federal government. For us, we try to blame the Americans because we cannot blame the queen or the king anymore.”
A separate clash between Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario is brewing in the background after the Chinese ambassador to Canada recently said China could lift its tariffs on Canadian canola if Canada drops its duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he respects the needs of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but he also needs to protect his own province and thereâs “no damn way” Canada should drop its Chinese-made EV tariffs.
David Paterson, Ontarioâs representative in Washington, told The House on Friday he thinks the premiers are more in alignment “than Iâve seen in my lifetime,” and his province “is deeply invested in protection of lumber and all kinds of other areas.”
“We need a deal for Canada,” Paterson said. “But when you look at what Canada provides to the United States, its energy and automotive as the two lead areas in terms of just the flow-through of jobs in Ontario.”
