Facing mounting pressure from his own ranks, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would bid adieu to his nine-year stint as the country’s leader.
“I have decided to step aside because this proud country deserves a genuine choice come election time,” he shared during a Monday presser. Trudeau also mentioned his intention to remain in office until his party appoints a successor and stated that the Canadian parliament would take a breather—suspended until 24 March.
This decision comes amid Trudeau’s dwindling popularity across the nation, which many believe could hinder the Liberal Party’s chances in the approaching elections.
“While sharing my plans with you today, I also broke the news to my kids over dinner yesterday,” Trudeau confessed in front of reporters in Ottawa.
“The plan is straightforward—I’ll relinquish my roles as the party leader and prime minister soon as my party picks a new captain via a competitive and thorough national search,” he elaborated.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party’s big cheese, Sachit Mehra, disclosed that the party’s board would huddle this week to kickstart the search for a new leader.
“Liberals nationwide hold immense gratitude for Justin Trudeau’s leadership spanning more than a decade,” Mehra expressed in a written statement, acknowledging Trudeau’s contributions such as the Canada Child Benefit and dental as well as pharmacare expansions.
However, not everyone is impressed. Conservative head honcho Pierre Poilievre criticized, “Despite his departure, nothing truly changes. All Liberal MPs and aspiring leaders backed his every step for nine long years, and now they’re attempting a face swap to bamboozle voters for another four-year run—just another Trudeau in disguise,” Poilievre jabbed on X.
The chatter within the Liberal Party grew louder against Trudeau, especially post-December, when Deputy Prime Minister and arguably Trudeau’s longtime compadre, Chrystia Freeland, snapped her fingers and resigned.
A public letter from Freeland pointed fingers at the looming tax threats posed by US President-elect Donald Trump on Canadian goods and scrutinized Trudeau’s inadequate countermoves.
Trump dangled a 25% tax bombshell on Canadian imports—a move that economists warn could pull the rug from under Canada’s economy—unless the country beefs up security along their border.
Commenting on Freeland’s departure, Trudeau suggested, “I wished Chrystia would’ve stayed put as deputy prime minister, but she saw it differently.”
Canada responded by planning to tighten security measures along its US border to counter these threats.
Trump, always with a finger on the pulse, took to his favorite online hangout to say that tariff tensions nudged Trudeau out the door. Once again, he quipped that Canada should consider becoming “the 51st State,” asserting that such a merger would evaporate tariffs and taxes and bolt Canada under a sturdy security umbrella.
Since 2019, Trudeau’s Liberal Party has been paddling as a minority entity.
The Liberal-NDP alliance that buttressed Trudeau’s government took a hit following Freeland’s exit, hemorrhaging the support of allies like the New Democrats and the Quebec-loving Bloc Quebecois.
With the Conservatives leading the poll pack for months by double digits, the Liberals could face an electoral beatdown if voting day was now.
Now the Liberals are tasked with picking a new guide to steer them into the next election scheduled by 20 October.
A senior government wonk told the BBC that the race is wide open, with the Prime Minister’s Office opting out of the game, letting party members navigate their course forward.
Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet proposed calling early elections once a new Liberal head honcho is in place.
The End of the Trudeau Era
In case you didn’t catch the drift, Trudeau hails from a political dynasty—his father, Pierre Trudeau, was a big cheese in the political sphere during the ’70s and ’80s.
In 2015, the younger Trudeau made waves after his party snatched a controlling victory with promises of ushering in a brighter, more progressive age, which he eloquently called “Sunny Ways.”
His playbook: fostering gender equality—half his cabinet spots belong to women, pushing for reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, introducing a carbon levy, rolling out a tax-free perk for families, and making recreational cannabis legit.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, tipped her hat toward Trudeau’s efforts regarding Indigenous matters, acknowledging his steps as pivotal in her statement post-resignation, while noting that future governments must continue building on this blueprint.
In recent years, dark clouds shadowed Trudeau’s government as it stumbled over scandals, like the infamous deal with a scandal-ridden Canadian corporation and—you guessed it—some revealing photos of a brownface-clad Trudeau.
The biotech-like implementation of vaccine mandates and restrictions threw more fuel to the fire, sparking the Freedom Convoy protests. Trudeau had to unsheathe emergency powers unprecedented in modern-day to clear the protestors.
Post-pandemic, soaring home and grocery prices added weight, and his immigration bullseye scaled back as strained public services creaked under pressure.
By the tail end of 2024, Trudeau’s approval ratings hit a deep low—just 22% thought he was on a good trajectory, per a poll tracker.
Outside Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, a handful of joyful protesters danced, celebrating his resignation.
Yet not all sing the same tune. One carpenter from British Columbia, Hames Gamarra, shrugged off the noise, telling the BBC, “I’m just a guy who swings a hammer. I earn my dough, pay my dues. It wasn’t too shabby.”
On the flip, Marise Cassivi, an everyday Canadian, perceived the chapter’s close differently. When asked if this moment evoked any nostalgia, she responded, “Nope. It’s just what needed to be done.”
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
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