Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced the biggest test of his political career after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, long one of his most powerful and loyal cabinet ministers, announced her resignation from the cabinet on Monday.
The surprising move raised questions about how long the prime minister, who has served as prime minister for nearly a decade, can remain in office as his administration grapples with dealing with incoming US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Trudeau's popularity has plummeted due to concerns about inflation and immigration.
Opposition leader Jagmeet Singh, whom Prime Minister Trudeau's ruling Liberal Party has relied on to maintain power, has called on Trudeau to resign. The main opposition party, the Conservative Party, called for an election.
Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said Trudeau told her on Friday that he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and offered her a different cabinet role. But in her resignation letter to the prime minister, she said the only “honest and viable path forward” was to leave cabinet.
Canadian PM threatens to cut off energy imports to US if President Trump imposes tariffs on country
“In recent weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland said.
Prime Minister Freeland and Prime Minister Trudeau did not agree on the recently announced two-month sales tax holiday and C$250 (about $175) checks to Canadians. Freeland said Canada should avoid “expensive political gimmicks” that it “cannot afford” as it responds to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose steep 25 per cent tariffs.
“Our nation faces significant challenges,” Freeland said in the letter. “That means not depleting the fiscal spark today and securing the reserves that may be needed for the coming tariff war.”
Liberal Party officials said Freeland was offered the position of Canada-U.S. relations minister without a portfolio or department. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the position was in name only and did not come with any of the tools Freeland had in previous trade negotiations. He said it would be. us
The resignation comes as Freeland, who previously chaired the Cabinet Committee on U.S. Relations, is expected to issue a fall economic statement and announce border security measures to help Canada avoid President Trump's tariffs. It was held in a crowded atmosphere. The president-elect of the United States has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products imported into the United States from Canada and Mexico unless immigration and drug numbers are stopped.
Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Spencer Colby/Canadian Press, via AP)
Prime Minister Trudeau has said he intends to lead the Liberal Party in the next election, but some party members say they do not want him to run for a fourth term, and Freeland's departure from the party is a major blow to the Trudeau government. Ta.
“This news was a real shock,” Transport Minister Anita Anand said, adding that she needed to understand the news before commenting further.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre said the government was losing control at the worst possible time.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lost control, but he's clinging to power,” Poièvre said. “All this chaos because our biggest neighbor and closest ally is imposing 25% tariffs under Trump, a recently elected man with a strong mandate who knows how to spot weaknesses, All the division, all the weakness is happening.”
In more than a century, no Canadian prime minister has been elected to four consecutive terms.
Federal elections must be held by October. Since the Liberal Party itself does not hold a full majority, it must rely on the support of at least one of the other major parties in Parliament. An election could be called at any time if the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) gains support.
“I'm calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign. He must resign,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said.
Prime Minister Trudeau's Liberal Party needs support from the NDP to stay in power. Singh did not say whether he would invoke a vote of no confidence in the government, but said all options were on the table.
“Mr. Trudeau's government is over,” said Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the opposition Bloc Quebecois Party. “He must acknowledge that and act accordingly. The resignation of his most important ally, the finance minister, is the end of this government.”
Prime Minister Trudeau inherited his father's star power in 2015, reasserting the country's liberal identity after nearly a decade of Conservative rule. But the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is currently facing a big problem. Canadians are frustrated by other issues such as the rising cost of living and increased immigration as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a country, we have to step up,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “Ottawa is in turmoil right now.”
Prime Minister Trudeau's legacy includes opening the door broadly to immigration. He also legalized cannabis and introduced a carbon tax aimed at combating climate change.
In his resignation letter, Freeland said Canadians “know when we're working for them, and they likewise know when we're focused on ourselves.” The government's term will inevitably come to an end.”
Freeland's resignation comes as Trudeau prepares to bring Mark Carney into the government. Mr. Carney is a former governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada.
He was praised for helping Canada avoid the worst of the world economic crisis, and Britain named him the first foreigner to serve as Governor of the Bank of England since its founding in 1694.
Mr. Carney had long been interested in entering politics and becoming leader of the Liberal Party. It was not immediately clear whether Carney had agreed to join Trudeau's cabinet.
“This is pretty bombshell,” said Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. “Mr. Freeland has served as deputy prime minister as well as finance minister, and until a few years ago was seen as Mr. Trudeau's successor as Liberal leader and prime minister.”
Wiseman said leaks from Downing Street suggested she had poor communication skills and that Freeland's status was in doubt.
“There was talk of her becoming foreign minister again and that would have been a good fit for her, but a stab in the back from Downing Street sealed her fate,” Wiseman said.
Daniel Behrand, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, also said this was a political earthquake, and not just because Freeland was the second most powerful official in the government.
“It's also because of the way she resigned, by publishing a letter on social media that was clearly critical of the Prime Minister, just hours before she was due to release the government's autumn economic statement,” Behrand said. said.
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“It's clear this is a minority government on life support, but so far the (opposition) NDP has rejected calls to stop it. It remains to be seen whether this resignation will force the NDP to rethink its strategy. do not have.”
