Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was mocked by opposition leader Pierre Poilievre as the beleaguered leader attempted to defend his government's record on immigration in Parliament. Training his guns on Trudeau over the housing affordability crisis, Poilievre said the Canadian PM "cannot fix what he broke" because he is busy "fighting" his own party.
"He (Trudeau) cannot fix what he broke on immigration, housing, or anything else because he is busy fighting his own caucus. Why won't he call a carbon tax election so that we can restore Canada's promise where anyone who comes here and works hard can have a good life, a safe street, and a warm home?" the Conservative leader said in Parliament during a debate.
Defending his government's economic policies, Trudeau said, "Once again, we see the leader of the Opposition is pushing a 'brokenist' vision of Canada that is simply not aligned with the reality."
With a smirk, Poilievre was quick to react and called out Trudeau for using the word "brokenist". "'Brokenist', it's not even a word. He (Trudeau) is even breaking the English language," Poilievre said, drawing chuckles from other opposition leaders.
The development comes at a time when Trudeau is facing mounting pressure from his own party to step down as Liberal leader. Trudeau, whose popularity ratings have dipped, has come under criticism over a major housing shortage caused by high interest rates, soaring property prices, and a record influx of immigrants.
During a Liberal party meeting on Wednesday, 24 MPs signed a letter asking Trudeau to step down before the next election, CBC News reported. There are 153 Liberal MPs in Canada's House of Commons.
However, a brazen Trudeau has previously said he planned to contest the next election. No Canadian prime minister has won four straight terms in over 100 years.
The internal turmoil in Canadian politics comes amid escalating tensions with India over a probe into the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Both India and Canada have also expelled six diplomats each in a tit-for-tat move.
Source: India Today