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Canadian PM Trudeau’s future in power is being increasingly tested amid a growing number of Liberal MPs calling on him to step down after deputy PM Chrystia Freeland’s resignation.
Canadian PM Trudeau’s leadership has landed in hot waters after Trump’s tariff threat. (AP/File)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s struggles continue to grow amid a growing number of calls for his resignation, including from members of his own Liberal Party. Around 15 Liberal MPs have now publicly called on Trudeau to step down and make way for someone else to lead the party.
Two more Liberal MPs – Brendan Hanley and Jenica Atwin – have joined the bandwagon after Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland’s shock resignation this week. Hanley said the way Freeland was treated has forced some MPs to more vocally support Trudeau’s ouster.
Hanley said Trudeau was a “transformation leader” who did a lot of good for Canada but he “needs to now step aside”, reported CBC News. “I don’t see a viable path forward with the prime minister staying as our leader,” he said. Other sitting Liberal MPs like René Arseneault, Anthony Housefather, Patrick Weiler, Helena Jaczek and Chad Collins have also publicly called for Trudeau to step down.
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Trudeau’s Troubles Deepen With Another By-Election Loss
Trudeau suffered a major setback this week as his deputy PM Chrystia Freeland resigned in a surprise move over alleged differences over the government’s fiscal spending measures and US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats, which has seemingly sparked a revolt from within his own party and threatened his grasp on power.
The resignation of Freeland, 56, who also stepped down as finance minister, marked the first open dissent against the beleaguered Trudeau from within his cabinet. Trudeau is battling widespread unpopularity and polls show if he would badly to his Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who has thrice tried to topple the government.
His losses were exacerbated by another bruising by-election defeat in British Columbia. The Conservative candidate won the seat by some 50 percentage points over the Liberal rival, which is considered an embarrassing result given the Liberals won there in the last election.
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), which was previously an ally of Trudeau’s party, said Trudeau must step down as Canada needs a Prime Minister who will fight for the people.
What Is Next For Trudeau?
The precarious position of Trudeau’s leadership has fuelled speculation over the next Liberal leader. Liberal MP Chad Collins has estimated that the number of caucus members who want Trudeau to resign stands at between 40 and 50. If a secret ballot is held on Trudeau’s future, he would lose, he told CBC Radio.
Another MP Wayne Long said a third of the caucus, constituting roughly 50 MPs, want Trudeau to step down straight away, while another third are still considering the move. He said a third of the caucus are Trudeau loyalists who believe he should stay, but nevertheless is not enough to improve Trudeau’s bleak future in power.
“This isn’t just about one man — it’s about saving our party from historic defeat. Let’s ask ourselves: Do we want to stay silent and allow this to happen? Silence is complicity,” Long said in a letter to MPs, saying the “embarrassing” resignation of Freeland should serve as a “glaring wake-up call”. He also said Trudeau would be “delusional” if he thinks he can lead the party into the next election.
If Trudeau gives in to pressure and steps down, it will set off a Liberal leadership race which Freeland can join. The only way Trudeau can be toppled is if all opposition parties unite against him in a no-confidence motion, which cannot take place before January 27 when the House of Commons-elected chamber returns.
A top NDP official said his party is willing to defeat the Liberals in a confidence vote if Trudeau does not resign by February or March 2025. NDP House leader Peter Julian said if Trudeau isn’t gone by then, the NDP would “100%” vote to support a “straight up” non-confidence motion in the House of Commons.
What Is Trudeau Doing Now?
A close Trudeau ally said the Canadian PM is reflecting on complaints about his leadership by legislators from the Liberal Party, holding a special meeting with his unhappy parliamentary caucus after Freeland’s resignation and the by-election defeat.
Dominic LeBlanc, a long-time ally of Trudeau who will replace Freeland as Finance Minister, said, “He did say to caucus that he had heard very clearly, and listened carefully, to their concerns and he would reflect on it.”
Trudeau is also looking at a possible cabinet shuffle, with sources telling CBC News that some MPs have been approached for background checks and interviews, giving them hope that they may get tapped to join the cabinet. However, Liberal MP Sean Casey said the number of Liberals calling for Trudeau’s resignation will grow after the shuffle.
Six cabinet ministers, Sean Fraser, Pablo Rodriguez, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Carla Qualtrough, Filomena Tassi and Dan Vandal, have already decided not to run for the next election, and Freeland’s departure means that there are eight cabinet spots to fill.
