Barack Obama Montreal Speech: Justin Trudeau, Former President Discuss Leadership Over Dinner

Former President Barack Obama was spotted having dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday after Obama’s speech at the Palais des congrès (Montreal Chamber of Commerce) in Montreal, which was organized by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

This was the former president’s first visit to Canada since he left office in January.

Canadians spotted the pair dining at the St-Henri’s gourmet restaurant strip and several people lined up outside the eatery to catch a glimpse of the former president. The pair was expected to eat at Joe Beef, but they ended up dining at Liverpool House restaurant.

"Even Obama couldn’t get a table at Joe Beef," someone in the crowd said jokingly.

Another woman in the crowd stood beside the stop light and said: "If he gets a red light, we’ll be here to see him!"

Police and Obama’s security kept a close watch on the two as they left the restaurant and waved to the onlookers on Notre-Dame Street. Obama then left the scene in his black SUV.

The two world leaders discussed how to get young people active in their communities, according to Trudeau’s tweet following their dinner.

Trudeau was not present during Obama’s speech, Tuesday at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. Almost 6,000 people, including Premier Philippe Couillard, former premier Jean Charest and various other high-profile business executives, attended the former president’s speech in Montreal.

During the speech, the former president criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the country from the Paris climate agreement.

"Obviously I'm disappointed with the current American administration decision to put out of Paris," Obama said during his speech, according to the Associated Press.

However, Obama did not mention Trump’s name, rather he praised states and cities that are still carrying on with the Paris accord regulations despite the "temporary absence of American leadership."

"In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change," Obama said. "An agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership will still give our children a fighting chance."

The former president also appeared to hint towards Trump while he spoke about the current age of instant information and its advantages and disadvantages.

"Where TV and Twitter can feed us a steady stream of bad news and sometimes fake news, it can seem like the international order we have created is constantly being tested and the center may not hold," he said.

"And in some cases, that leads people to search for certainty and control and they can call for isolationism or nationalism or they can suggest rolling back the rights of others," Obama explained.

"Or simply they can try to retreat and suggest we have no obligations beyond our borders, or beyond our communities, or beyond our tribe – that what’s good for me and my immediate people is all that matters, that everyone else is on their own," he added during his speech.

Read: What Obama Thinks About Trump: ‘He’s Nothing But A Bullshitter,’ Sources Say

Obama also said that the forces of nationalistic nature and economic uncertainty, which was created by advancements in technology have now made people to seek the leadership of "strong men."

"And in some cases, that leads people to search for certainty and control and they can call for isolationism or nationalism or they can suggest rolling back the rights of others,'' he said.