After almost a decade as Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau announced this Sunday his intention to leave the position when his party, the Liberal Party, elects a new leader.
The 53-year-old politician, who became prime minister in November 2015 amid promises of hope and revitalization, has faced growing pressure in recent months to leave office.
Why was Trudeau’s resignation called for?
Trudeau, who was for years considered a global progressive leader, saw his approval ratings drop to a new low of just 33% late last year. Those same surveys revealed general unease about the state of the economy.
Like many Western leaders, Trudeau has faced record inflation at home and high food prices. In addition, a strong internal real estate crisis, which has caused housing prices in some areas of the country to increase between 30% and 40% in recent years, has deepened frustration with the actions of his government.
Political scandals during his long tenure have not helped either. Trudeau was already reprimanded in 2017 for accepting gifts that included vacations and private helicopter flights. Skipping the country’s first national truth and reconciliation day to spend a surfing vacation and revelations that members of his family received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a charity his government recently awarded a major contract have also damaged his reputation.
Why has the outcome occurred now?
Under Canadian federal law, the next election must be held before October 2025. But in recent months, members of Trudeau’s Liberal Party have debated the possibility of their leader stepping aside and a new one being appointed.
Late last year, nearly two dozen Liberal MPs signed a letter calling for Trudeau to resign over the risk of facing a crushing defeat.
The crisis escalated in mid-December when his staunch deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, left office, publicly criticizing him and questioning his ability to face a second term of Donald Trump. Days later, Liberal lawmakers in Ontario and Quebec called for a new party leader to be elected. This Wednesday they had called a meeting to discuss the future of the prime minister.
What does Trump have to do with all this?
Trump’s economic nationalism, with his “America first” as his banner, includes the threat of imposing 25% tariffs on Canada after he arrives at the White House.
Trump has also mocked Trudeau after his electoral victory, calling him the “governor” (not prime minister) of the “great state of Canada,” playing with the idea that it is just another American state and not a sovereign country.
Among criticisms of Trudeau, Freeland warned after her resignation as number two in the Government that Canada, which is the United States’ largest trading partner, should take Trump’s threats about tariffs “very seriously.”
In any case, it must be taken into account that Freeland’s comments about Trudeau’s ability to deal with Trump could be part of an internal power play. Her name was already being heard as a possible successor at the head of the Liberal Party in the event of the prime minister’s resignation.
What happens now?
In his speech, the still prime minister has announced that he intends to suspend parliamentary activity until March 24 to give his party time to elect a new leader with the aim of becoming the new prime minister and being the party’s candidate in the elections. elections this year.
It is expected that in the next few hours the leadership of the Liberal Party will meet to decide how to carry out this transition.
When are the elections held?
Federal law requires that elections be held before October, but everything indicates that the political situation and distrust of the Liberal Party may cause an advance.
The Conservatives are expected to achieve a majority to govern, according to current polls. But that result could vary substantially depending on who the new leader of the Liberals is.
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