At Brown, Justin Trudeau discusses U.S.-Canada relations, global conflict and the power of storytelling

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Canadians are feeling "rightly destabilized" by the U.S. government's recent actions around trade and tariffs, which are also negatively affecting Americans, former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said at Brown University on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

"There is a pattern here of doing things that are driving up prices for your consumers and not necessarily making anything better for America, by fighting with one of your oldest and best allies," Trudeau said. "So we look at this in Canada, and we say, 'Wow, you're not trying to make life more affordable for Americans - if you really want to make life more affordable for Americans, you wouldn't be picking a fight with the most reliable provider of resources for your manufacturing and your citizens.'"

Trudeau's remarks came during the University's 106th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. '60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs. The 23rd prime minister of Canada, Trudeau led the country from 2015 to 2025. He noted that his last visit to Rhode Island came in 2017, when he delivered a speech defending the value of the North American Free Trade Agreement at a meeting of U.S. governors. Nine years later, at Brown, he pointed to reductions in aluminum exports from Quebec to the U.S. as one example of the effects of recent tariffs on trade.

Other topics Trudeau discussed in a wide-ranging conversation with Brown University President Christina H. Paxson included whether governments should regulate AI and social media, the power of storytelling to develop understanding across differences, and governing under pressure. Speaking to an audience of more than 1,300 that included many Brown students, Trudeau urged young people to get involved as the world navigates massive global shifts in power, technology and governance.

"If you're looking at international norms and governance and relations and saying, 'Boy, I really don't follow what's going on, I'm really not sure what's going to happen next' - don't worry, you're not alone," Trudeau said. "Most people don't know how this is going to shape up… What's clear is that this is a time where the next 50 years are being set up in this decade, and that's why it is so important… that this generation of folks in their 20s be as active as possible in helping shape that goal."

Trudeau was the latest among dozens of leaders and diplomats to participate in the University's long-running Ogden Lecture series, which last year welcomed former U.S. secretaries of state Hillary Rodham Clinton and Condoleezza Rice and has previously featured the Dalai Lama, New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger and former heads of state Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) and Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union), among others.

At Brown, Trudeau also shared insights on the Canadian healthcare system and the lessons he took into public service from his life before politics, which included studying literature at McGill University in Montreal and working as a whitewater rafting guide.

This is a developing story and will be updated.