It’s no secret that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not an admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trudeau recently voiced concerns about the possibility of Trump's re-election, commenting, “It wasn't easy the first time and if there is a second time, it won't be easy either.”

During a recent interview on FOX Business, Shark Tank star and fellow Canadian Kevin O’Leary was asked about Trudeau’s remarks concerning Trump. However, instead of discussing Trump, O’Leary turned his critique towards Trudeau.

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“Trudeau is the worst prime minister ever put in power — very successful politician, no executional skills,” O’Leary asserted. “Hopefully we will thank him for his service within the next 18 months. It’s so important to Canada that he move on.”

What O’Leary is taking issue with

Trudeau has been serving as Canada’s prime minister since 2015, a tenure during which, according to O’Leary, the country's abundant resources have been mismanaged.

“[Canada] is one of the richest countries on Earth from a natural resource basis. It’s managed by idiots,” O’Leary critiqued.

It’s hard to argue that the country is rich in resources. From the sprawling, forest-covered landscapes of British Columbia to the oil-rich sands of Alberta, Canada's natural bounty is both diverse and vast.

It’s also an important sector for the country economically. According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, natural resources contributed to 12.3% of Canada’s GDP in Q3. And the number of jobs in natural resources sat at more than 600,000 — significant for a country with a total population of 35 million.

When the interviewer probed O’Leary about whether he was suggesting Trudeau failed to leverage these resources, O’Leary responded, “Oh, it’s much worse than that. I wouldn’t let him manage a candy store.”

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O’Leary prefaced his comments by saying, “I’m an investor, I look at it from that perspective.” In truth, the Montreal-born Shark Tanker doesn’t lack firsthand exposure to Canadian party politics. In 2016, he took a run at leading the federal Conservative Party of Canada. The bid fizzled in 2017, however.

Even after exiting politics, O’Leary has publicly disparaged Trudeau on several occasions. In June 2023, in another Fox appearance, he called Canada “the richest country in the world run by idiots.”

Several years before that, in 2019, in an interview with TheStreet, O’Leary said of Trudeau’s Liberal government, “It is so bad that if we got another four years of this, I think he could take Canada down to, probably, zero growth rate.”

As things turned out, Canada did get four more years of Trudeau — and then some — and growth has in fact flatlined: real GDP actually fell by 0.3% in Q3, following a 0.3% increase in Q2, according to Statistics Canada.

O'Leary appears not to be alone in his dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership. A recent Leger poll conducted for The Canadian Press reveals notable public disapproval, with only 30% of Canadians saying they’re satisfied with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. In contrast, a significant 63% report dissatisfaction.

Canada is also nowhere near the top on The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business ranking at the 23rd spot.

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