The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, officially resigned from his post on Monday amidst a government crisis and dipping public opinion ratings.
He has also resigned as party leader and suspended the country’s parliamentary session, declaring that he will continue to hold office until a replacement is appointed.
Trudeau announced his resignation in a speech in which he said he was a “fighter”, but that “this country deserves a real choice” at the next election – admitting that he felt he was not the right person to lead his party to victory
Former leader stated that the crisis within his government made his decision to resign necessary, as it was apparent that “internal battles” would compromise his ability to serve Canadians effectively.
Prime Minister Trudeau has been dealing with leadership issues following the surprise departure of his Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland.
One of Trudeau’s most influential and loyal cabinet members, Freeland, disagreed with him on how to handle US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose harsh tariffs on Canadian products.
Following his speech, Trudeau answered questions about his former colleague, praising Freeland but stating that he was unable to disclose the specifics of their “private conversations” regarding her resignation and whether they influenced his decision to step down.
In his speech, Trudeau highlighted his accomplishments as prime minister, stating that Canada has made significant progress since he first took office in 2015. He noted that one of his disappointments was not implementing electoral reform, including the option for Canadians to rank multiple candidates in elections.
Trudeau expressed that he was “excited” about the prospect of facing a leadership challenge within his own Liberal party and claimed that Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s main opposition party, is not suitable to lead the country.
Several of Trudeau’s own MPs had called for him to resign before he made the announcement, as the government was already in a state of turmoil. Moreover, his popularity with the Canadian public had decreased, with recent polls indicating that his Liberal party could suffer a defeat in the upcoming elections.
A September survey by Ipsos found that 26% of those polled specified that Justin Trudeau would be their prime minister of choice, ranking last behind his Conservative party opponent.
An election is scheduled to occur before October of this year, but Trudeau’s resignation might prompt demands for an early election.
In 2015, Justin Trudeau initially rose to prominence, leading his party from third to first place in a surprising election win. His campaign was built around a platform of welcoming immigration, addressing global warming, and raising taxes on individuals with higher incomes.
His term has been marred by several political scandals, including the resignation of his then-Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. In 2019, his re-election campaign was damaged by the release of images showing him wearing brown face makeup on several previous occasions.
Despite these setbacks, Trudeau maintained power for nine years making him the longest-serving leader among his G7 counterparts until his resignation on Monday.
Lately, he has faced difficulties in maintaining widespread support from the public, who are growing increasingly fed up with the rising cost of living.
The person taking over the president’s post will have to address the consequences of Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The president-elect, who will begin his term in January, has pledged to impose a 25% tax on all goods entering the country from Canada and Mexico in order to combat illegal migration and the fentanyl crisis in the US.
Economists have issued warnings that such tariffs could cause substantial harm to the Canadian economy.
