'Don't believe you for a second': Justin Trudeau stumped on face by factory worker

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's tense exchange with a steelworker is going viral across North America, The worker told Trudeau that policies of his government have left his family struggling to make ends meet.

The footage of the exchange from a city in Ontario has surfaced on social media. In the video broadcasted by the CTV News, a worker declined to accept Trudeau's offer for doughnuts as he went on to complain about the high taxes and raised medical bills.

"The 25 per cent tariffs we just brought in is going to help you out … that's going to keep your job," Trudeau told the man.

"What about the 40 per cent taxes I am paying? And I don't have a doctor," the employee of Algoma Steel replied.

Trudeau told the man about a purported multimillion-dollar investment from the Canadian government that he claimed would ensure he would have a job "for many years to come". The man then said that Trudeau would be voted out.

"That's what elections are for," Trudeau said.

"I look forward to everyone exercising the right to vote. … We are going to invest in you and your job."

"I don't believe you for a second," the steelworker replied.

After Trudeau pointed to his government's initiative to help Canadians get dental care, the worker said that he believed unemployed Canadians had better access to affordable health care than he did. "Probably like my neighbour who doesn’t go to work because she’s lazy?" the steelworker asked.

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"You know what? Most Canadians try to stick up for each other, and that’s what we've got to keep doing," Trudeau responded and wished the man good luck. The worker refused a handshake from Trudeau.

Trudeau’s government has come under scrutiny amid a deep cost-of-the-living crisis in Canada. The prime minister, however, has remained optimistic. "Inflation came down last month, beating out expectations," he wrote in a Facebook post on July 17. "But, until Canadians can feel that relief in their wallets, at the grocery store, and on their mortgages, the job’s not done."

Canada is scheduled to go to the polls on October 20, 2025.

(With inputs from agencies)