The relationship between Ireland and Canada “deepened” under Justin Trudeau’s leadership, the Tanaiste has said.
Micheal Martin described Mr Trudeau as “a true friend of Ireland” after the Canadian prime minister announced on Monday his intention to resign after nine years in office.
Mr Trudeau said “internal battles” meant he “cannot be the best option” for the Liberal Party in the next election.
Reacting to the news, Mr Martin thanked Mr Trudeau for his time in office and paid tribute to him.
“Prime Minister Trudeau has made a significant contribution to the global stage, always taking a strong multilateral perspective to tackling the challenges of our time and working for a more just and sustainable world,” he said in a statement.
“Under his leadership, the relationship between Ireland and Canada has deepened. His support for the Irish-Canadian community, based on our shared values and historical and cultural bonds, has strengthened the friendship between our two countries.
“PM Trudeau’s commitment to the partnership between Ireland and Canada was clear to me during my meeting with him in Toronto in March of last year, and during his visit to Ireland in 2017.
“I extend my best wishes to Prime Minister Trudeau, a true friend of Ireland, in his future endeavours.”
Earlier, former taoiseach Leo Varadkar praised Mr Trudeau’s tenure in power and said that when his legacy is assessed “he will be seen as one of the great Canadian prime ministers”.
Leo Varadkar shows off his Canadian-themed socks during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (PA)
He told RTE Radio: “I do think he was a prime minister who achieved a lot for Canada.
“You mentioned Donald Trump, he dealt with him for four years, Donald Trump was going to get rid of Nafta, get rid of the trade agreement between the USA, Canada and Mexico, and he managed to negotiate a new agreement called the US-NCA which is pretty much the same thing. I think that was quite an achievement.
“He was very good on climate, had the courage to bring in a carbon tax and bring Canada into the Paris accords, and bear in mind, there’s a really strong lobby in Canada – oil industry, gas industry, all of that.
“Brought in gun control, something politicians south of the US-Canada border have not been successful at doing.
“Brought in a Canadian system of child benefit which I think has made a difference in the lives of children and families and also improved access to affordable childcare and healthcare.”
He acknowledged the problems that Canada faces, but said they were similar to other Western countries’ challenges: the cost of living, housing shortages and migration.
He added: “But I think when you look at the broad sweep of what he has achieved over nine years, it is significant and I think he can be proud of what he has achieved.”
After Mr Varadkar first became taoiseach in 2017, Mr Trudeau was the first world leader to visit Ireland under his tenure and Canada was the first country Mr Varadkar paid an official visit to in the role.
Mr Varadkar announced his resignation in March, when he said being taoiseach had been “the most fulfilling time” of his life but said he no longer felt he was the best person for the job.
Asked about the similarities between Mr Trudeau’s exit and his own, he said that Fine Gael was not as far behind in the polls as the Canadian Liberals.
He said: “I remember one prime minister, (New Zealand’s) Jacinda Ardern, stepped down after six years, I remember her saying to me once, if you’re a prime minister, if you’re a head of government, there’s only three ways you go: you die, you lose an election or you resign, and if you resign it’s either by choice or by force.”