Trudeau breaks English: 'Brokenist' Canadian PM gets mocked in Parliament, internet for made-up word

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while defending his government's immigration policies in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 23) became the butt of jokes for using a made-up word "brokenist".

What happened?

Trudeau was defending his party's record on immigration when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre seized the opportunity to lambaste the Canadian PM, linking immigration issues to Canada's ongoing housing crisis. Mocking Trudeau for his strained relationship with his own party, he commented, "cannot fix what he broke because he's busy fighting his own caucus."

In response, Trudeau used the term "brokenist," suggesting Poilievre was promoting a vision of a broken Canada.

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"Once again, we see the leader of the Opposition is pushing a 'brokenist' vision of Canada that is simply not aligned with the reality," said Trudeau. To this, Poilievre quickly retorted with a smirk, "It's not even a word," drawing laughter from the chamber. 

"He (Canadian PM Trudeau) is even breaking the English language," said the laughing opposition leader addressing House of Commons Greg Fergus.

Netizens mock 'brokenist' leader

Trudeau's use of the word ignited a meme frenzy on social media, with users mocking him for breaking not just policies, but the English language itself. 

One user on X (formerly Twitter) quipped, "From the most "brokenist" PM Canada has ever had," while others chimed in with sarcastic jabs including one user who said Trudeau was a "walking puddle of brainless mush".

Check out other sarcastic takes on Trudeau's slip here: 

One user even explained the usage of "Brokenist". 

"Here is how to use 'brokenist' in a sentence... Justin Trudeau is the most 'brokenist' leader in Canada right now."

Trudeau's linguistic slip came at a difficult time for him, as growing dissatisfaction among his own Liberal Party members poses a significant threat to his leadership. 

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On Wednesday, three Liberal lawmakers revealed that 24 of their colleagues had signed a letter urging Trudeau not to seek a fourth term. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), lawmakers of the Liberal Party have issued Justin Trudeau a deadline of October 28 to step down or face unspecified consequences.

This political upheaval coincides with declining public support, as the latest polls show Trudeau's Liberals trailing the Conservatives by a significant margin—38 per cent to 25 per cent. 

(With inputs from agencies)