Justin Trudeau’s days are numbered
Pressure is piling on Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, to call it a day, following the bombshell resignation of his deputy on Monday, and amid growing fears that he is ill-equipped to lead the country as it prepares for a coming trade war with Donald Trump.
A war that could deal a devastating blow to Canada’s economy if the US President Elect follows through on his threat to impose a 25 per cent tarrif on all Canadian imports.
“Trudeau is delusional if he thinks we can continue like this,” declared Liberal MP Wayne Long today, who joined a growing number of politicians from the Prime Minister’s own party, to turn on him in the wake of Chrystia Freeland’s shock announcement.
Freeland, a key ally of Trudeau’s for over a decade, resigned as deputy PM and finance minister earlier this week, just as she was meant to deliver the Autumn economic statement.
In an open letter, she revealed that she and the PM were “at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” and indicated that the rift was heavily driven by disagreement on how to handle Trump. “The incoming administration of the US is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism,” she warned, adding: “Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”
The move reportedly stunned her colleagues and has dealt an unexpected blow to Trudeau’s already unpopular government.
Many consider 56-year-old Freeland to be the brains of the PM’s political operation, hence her nickname “minister of everything”. She also sought praise for her efforts in renegotiating a volatile free trade deal with the US during Trump’s first term.
The incoming US president, meanwhile, has not shed any tears over her departure.
He promptly logged onto Truth Social to mock the development, writing: "The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau. Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!"
This morning, he returned to his favourite social media platform to wind up “Governor” Trudeau once again: “No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State”.
That the Canadian leader is deemed ill-equipped to handle bully Trump is only a small part of his domestic troubles.
Trudeau, who has been leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2013 and prime minister for over nine years, has been under pressure since the summer, due to his plummeting popularity.
His approval rating currently sits at around 33 percent - a dramatic drop from the 55 percent rating he enjoyed back in May 2020.
Though first elected on a wave of public fatigue with an incumbent Conservative government, polls indicate that the opposition Conservative party would be handed a decisive victory if elections were to be held today.
In late October, as the Liberals trailed nearly 20 points behind the opposition Conservatives, 24 backbench Liberal MPs signed a letter calling for the prime minister to step down.
But, to date, Trudeau is determined to lead his party into the next election, scheduled for October at the latest. “In difficult times, it's not time to stop. It's time to be ambitious, audacious," he said yesterday.
By insisting that he will lead his party to the polls next year, despite his unpopularity, Trudeau has been compared to the stubborn Joe Biden.
History suggests that the odds are against him too: no Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.
Donald Trump is unlikely to increase his chances of breaking this precedent.
Caitlin Allen
Deputy Editor
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