OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:43 PM – Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began this week with a battle for his job amid calls for his resignation from all sides of parliament.
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Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned in protest on Monday.
Mr. Freeland was once considered a strong supporter of Mr. Trudeau, and the finance minister is second in command to the prime minister. Freeland resigned just hours before the deadline to submit plans and the national budget for the next fiscal year. In her letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, she referenced the dispute dating back to the fall.
He added that on Friday, Prime Minister Trudeau had directed him to resign as finance minister and take up another cabinet position.
“After much consideration, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path forward is to resign from the Cabinet,” Freeland said in a statement.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was elevated by Prime Minister Trudeau to the position of finance minister, replacing Freeland. Mr. LeBlanc said he would discuss the cost of living in Canada with Mr. Trudeau and look for areas of agreement with Mr. Trump on tariffs.
Prime Minister Trudeau gave a short speech to a Liberal caucus Monday evening. In his speech, he contrasted his goals with those of the Conservative Party and urged Canadians to continue supporting him, even as he acknowledged some recent challenges.
Prime Minister Trudeau then posted on Tuesday's X promoting a point that mainstream American media has dubbed “Trumpist.”
“We are stepping up to keep our borders strong and secure by deploying new helicopters, drones and surveillance tools. We are adding new scanners and sniffer dog teams to interdict and seize fentanyl. . By cracking down on money laundering that funds cross-border crime,” the Prime Minister posted.
Conservative MPs began calling on Trudeau to begin the process of resigning in October.
On Monday, MPs from different parties revived those cries. Liberal MP Francis Drouhin told The Canadian Press. due north Although he previously supported Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he no longer sees a path forward without Trudeau's resignation.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre said Trudeau's leadership was untouchable.
Poiivre called for new elections on Monday. Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Quebec nationalist party Bloc Québécois, also called for an election and called on Prime Minister Trudeau to dissolve the government within the next year.
Canadian politicians have been at odds for weeks after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. In his resignation letter, Freeland described President Trump's policies as militant economic nationalism.
President Trump announced last month that he would impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico on his first day in office. He said the move would force these countries to address ongoing problems of drug smuggling and illegal immigration into the United States. November 30thth Prime Minister Trudeau also visited President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and the two leaders later said they had a fruitful meeting.
The premiers of Canada's 13 provinces and territories convened on Monday to discuss tariffs. Additionally, they expected Freeland to speak about the state of the federal government's finances and his response to President Trump.
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