Canada in crisis: Will Trudeau be the next to fall?
text_fieldsCanada PM Justin Trudeau.
Toronto: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under mounting pressure to resign following the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who cited sharp disagreements with Trudeau over US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
A political crisis has engulfed Canada, with a third of the ruling Liberal Party's MPs demanding a leadership change, casting doubt on Trudeau’s future as Prime Minister.
On Monday evening, Canadian media reported that Trudeau has not yet decided whether to step down, even as the number of rebel MPs seeking his ouster surged to nearly 60 from the 153-strong Liberal caucus in the House of Commons.
Freeland, who also resigned as Finance Minister, became the first cabinet member to openly challenge Trudeau’s leadership, delivering a blow that could destabilize his hold on power.
The Liberal leader trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, by a staggering 20 points in opinion polls. Poilievre has made three unsuccessful attempts since September to topple Trudeau's government and push for a snap election.
Freeland announced her resignation on social media platform X, describing the nation’s political climate as highly challenging. She referred to Trump’s planned 25% tariffs on Canadian imports as a pivotal issue and noted that she and Trudeau had been at odds for several weeks over the best path forward for the country. She stated that Trudeau’s decision to propose her reassignment to another role had left her with no choice but to step down from the cabinet.
Freeland, a former journalist first elected to Parliament in 2013, has been a key figure in Trudeau’s government since the Liberals came to power in 2015. She held several critical roles, including trade and foreign minister, and played a central role in negotiating major free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States.
Most recently, Freeland had been at the forefront of Canada’s efforts to address the challenges posed by the incoming Trump administration. The United States, as Canada’s largest trading partner, accounts for 75% of its annual exports.
In her resignation letter, Freeland stressed the need to approach Trump’s tariff threats with utmost seriousness. She warned that a potential “tariff war” with the US could have dire consequences and emphasized the importance of maintaining a cautious fiscal policy in response to the economic uncertainty.
Her departure is seen as a significant fracture within Trudeau’s cabinet and raises serious questions about the government’s stability and ability to navigate the nation’s economic and political hurdles.
With IANS inputs