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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he intended to resign as party leader and prime minister as pressure from his own Liberal Party mounted amid heightened criticism of his handling of the economy and threats from President-elect Donald Trump. He said he would resign when the party elects a new leader.
Trudeau, who has led the nation for almost a decade, has been struggling for months with a significant drop in his approval ratings over growing frustration over issues such as the rising cost of living and rising inflation.
While there was no official way for his party to oust him from the leadership post, the now-former prime minister faced either the threat of a no-confidence vote in Parliament or a protracted battle to hold on to his position until the October 2025 election – both options expected to meet a crushing end. of Trudeau’s time in office.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on the aviation industry in Montreal, Quebec on July 15, 2021. (ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images)
The long-time prime minister is increasingly being called upon to resign. with at least seven liberal MPs in Parliament as well as from opposition party leaders who called on him to step down, following the sudden departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, who wrote a scathing letter of resignation, citing criticism of his management of certain economic policies, as well as threats made by Trump.
Freeland, once considered Trudeau’s top ally and who helped oversee the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada deal during the last Trump administration, warned that as Canada responds to Trump’s threat in November to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports “will define us for a generation, maybe longer.”
“For the past few weeks, you and I have been at odds over the best route to take to Canada,” she wrote. “Our country is facing a great challenge today.”
Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, center, Arif Virani, Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General, right, and Dominic LeBlanc, Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, during a cabinet meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 Prime Minister Trudeau is preparing what he calls a “Team Canada” approach to working with the US as the country prepares for the possible return of President Donald Trump Trump. (Allen McInnis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUDEAU ON THE EDGE AS AN ALLY, FINANCE MINISTER SUDDENLY RESIGNS DUE TO TRUMP’S TARIFF THREATS
“The incoming administration in the United States is implementing policy aggressive economic nationalism“, she continued, calling on the prime minister to show more backbone when it comes to opposing Trump and his “coming tariff war”.
Comments he made Freeland sent a shock across the Canadian government, with many backing her calls to show strength in the face of potentially tough economic times ahead.
Trudeau, who named close friend Dominic LeBlanc to take over as finance minister, later held a special meeting with his caucus, during which according to LeBlanche said he “heard very clearly and listened carefully to their concerns, and will think about it”.
FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak before a NATO roundtable at The Grove Hotel and Resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, December 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)
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Trudeau’s resignation means the Liberal Party can name an interim prime minister to lead the country until next fall’s election, potentially giving them a fighting chance to rebuild support for the Liberal Party.
It remains unclear who is likely to take Trudeau’s place, but LeBlanc — who also met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month along with the former prime minister — is said to be the frontrunner.
Trump has yet to comment publicly on Trudeau’s resignation, and his transition team did not respond to Fox News Digital’s previous questions about his influence on Canadian politics.
