After his address at the Munich Security Conference in Berlin, Germany, Canada's prime minister gave his thoughts on Vladimir Putin's grave mistake in underestimating the strength of democracy versus authoritarianism. Trudeau also noted the threats to democracy at home.

Source: Global News

Trudeau said Western leaders are united in their resolve to make Putin pay for his invasion of sovereign Ukraine. But he said it is crucial for democracies to take stock of the rising apathy, cynicism, declining voter turnout and misinformation that is plaguing their citizenries.

“It’s our job to rebuild that trust, to give people reasons to have faith in our institutions, to get involved in civic life,” Trudeau said.

“We can’t let fear, anxiety and envy overcome the hope, the earnest optimism, that is necessary for democracies to thrive. We can’t settle for simplistic answers to complex problems. We can’t let nativism distract from the hard work of building better systems.”

He added, “These challenges are not easy for any of us, but addressing them head on is essential.”

Zelensky appreciated his words.