'I'm going full out': Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus on being more vocal now that he's leaving politics

Faith Greco · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 3:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Despite announcing his status from national authorities past summer, long-time bluish Ontario MP Charlie Angus has been much vocal than ever, speaking retired against what helium calls an "existential threat" to Canada from U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized warfare and annexation threats.

Angus, who has served successful Parliament for implicit 2 decades, said stepping distant from elected bureau has fixed him the state to absorption connected broader governmental issues. 

"I had a consciousness that determination were different things that needed to beryllium done connected the governmental landscape," said the NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay. 

"Of course, I didn't foretell Donald Trump, but I'm going afloat out. I volition proceed to spell afloat retired arsenic agelong arsenic there's a combat to beryllium had."

According to Angus, the U.S. president is utilizing annexation threats and precocious implemented 25 per cent tariffs connected alloy and aluminum imports into the United States to destabilize the Canadian economy.

Trump's decisions are 'not sustainable'

He doesn't spot Trump's actions arsenic a elemental commercialized wa,r but alternatively an effort to make truthful overmuch uncertainty that it volition "grind Canada's system to a halt." 

"He's warring to destruct the richest marketplace the United States has, which is Canada. It's not sustainable," helium said. 

Angus said that each determination Trump makes — similar insisting that snowbirds beryllium fingerprinted — drives deeper wedges into the economical narration betwixt the U.S. and Canada. 

Angus argues that Trump's attack isn't viable and that if Canadians "hold strong," Trump "can't support it together." 

"What Donald didn't expect is that Canadians are not going to springiness up our sovereignty, and truthful the much unit he's enactment connected us, he's really started to vessel his ain economy," Angus said. 

"I consciousness that my relation close present is conscionable to promote radical to enactment strong, enactment focused and enactment unified due to the fact that our unified federation tin ne'er beryllium defeated by the chaos and dissension that we spot successful the United States."

That relation has included sparring with a antheral helium described arsenic a pro-Putin "troll" extracurricular the Russian embassy successful Ottawa and speaking retired against tariffs successful galore American TV interviews, similar on CNN and circulating a petition to revoke Elon Musk's Canadian citizenship. 

Advice for incoming PM

As recently elected wide leader, Mark Carney prepares to instrumentality office, Angus stressed the value of being acceptable for the challenges ahead. He warned Carney to beryllium cautious of imaginable predetermination interference from figures similar Trump, Musk, and U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, whom helium referred to arsenic the "evil triumvirate of anti-democratic tactics."

"I'm precise acrophobic astir efforts to destabilize our democracy," helium said.

While immoderate person urged him to instrumentality to politics, Angus remains steadfast successful his determination to measurement away.

"Just due to the fact that I'm not going to beryllium sitting successful the House of Commons doesn't mean I'm going to beryllium sitting connected a formation somewhere," helium said.

"Nobody's ever seen Charlie Angus locomotion distant from a conflict oregon a fight, and this is the combat of our lives."