When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power in 2015, he was a charismatic leftist with progressive symbolism and movie-star good looks, pledging electoral reform, tackling climate change and legalizing marijuana. I raised it. He quickly became one of the most famous politicians in the world, known for his agenda-setting liberal policies and for taking selfies with enamored fans.
“He was seen as a Canadian rock star,” said Duane Blatt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
Nine years later, Prime Minister Trudeau is deeply unpopular at home and vying for his job amid growing calls for him to resign.
Voters blame Trudeau for Canada’s economic downturn, housing crisis and near-record levels of immigration. Opinion polls in recent months have shown that he is highly unlikely to lead the Liberal Party to victory in the next election, due by October 20 next year.
The election of President Donald Trump last month made things even worse for Trudeau.
Conservatives and even members of the Liberal Party say they are not doing enough to counter President Trump, who has threatened to impose high tariffs on Canadian imports and repeatedly trolled Trudeau in recent weeks by calling him “the governor.” claims. America’s 51st state.
This week, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of Trudeau’s staunchest allies, abruptly resigned, citing disagreements with Trudeau’s approach to President Trump.
In a sharply worded letter announcing his resignation, Mr. Freeland said Mr. Trudeau had adopted “expensive political maneuvers” instead of confronting U.S. leaders directly and had put his own interests ahead of the best interests of Canadians. He accused them of prioritizing profits.
Freeland’s resignation, part of a recent cabinet exodus, has thrown Trudeau’s government into turmoil and prompted fresh calls for him to resign from his caucus and members of other allied parties.
At the same time, Canada’s three opposition parties are demanding that Prime Minister Trudeau call a new election.
“Everything is spiraling out of control,” Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre said on Monday. “We absolutely cannot continue like this.”
The crisis facing Trudeau underscores the geopolitical chaos that Trump has wreaked since taking office, weeks before he formally returns to the White House.
And it speaks to the same anti-incumbency headwinds and economic anxiety that helped destroy the Democratic Party in recent U.S. elections.
“Everything that seemed bright and refreshing about Prime Minister Trudeau in 2015 now looks old and tired,” Blatt said.
Prime Minister Trudeau is the eldest son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who led Canada for 15 years starting in 1968.
The young Prime Minister Trudeau worked as a teacher before entering politics. He was just 43 when he ousted the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, mobilizing a legion of young voters energized by his promise to restore social liberalism.
As prime minister, Trudeau legalized marijuana, instituted a national carbon tax, and officials announced they would cut the country’s emissions by a third by the end of the decade. He also became a prominent liberal challenger to Trump, who was first elected in 2016.
After President Trump banned travel to the United States from several Muslim-majority countries in 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada’s door was open.
“To those fleeing persecution, terrorism and war, Canadians will welcome you regardless of your faith,” he wrote on the social media platform now known as X, adding, “Diversity is our It’s a strength,” he said.
Trudeau was largely praised for steering the country through the successful renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which was led by Freeland.
But the country’s economic recovery has been slower than that of the United States, and the coronavirus pandemic has posed a challenge for Trudeau.
Prime Minister Trudeau has recently come under fire for allowing near-record numbers of immigrants into Canada during and after the pandemic to spur economic growth.
The country’s population has increased from 38 million to 41 million in three years due to an influx of temporary workers, international students and refugees. Critics say it has intensified existing competition for housing, health care and education.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s approval ratings continued to decline. Trump then won re-election.
On his first day in office, the next U.S. leader announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico unless they restrict illegal immigration and drug flows into the United States.
Many analysts believe President Trump may be using the threat of tariffs as a negotiating tactic before returning to the White House, but the issue has caused deep anxiety in Canada.
It has also sparked debate about what is the wisest strategy for Canada to deal with belligerent American leaders: push back or take a more conciliatory approach.
Prime Minister Trudeau appears to have chosen the second option. Last month, he flew to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida and had dinner with the president-elect. Then, in an apparent attempt to appease the incoming U.S. leader, the Trudeau government announced plans to beef up security along the U.S. border.
Freeland, meanwhile, has advocated for a tougher approach to Trump, echoing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s harsh response.
“Divided views on how to deal with the United States are central to the rationale for leaving Freeland,” said Christopher Sands, director of the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.
Mr Sands said Mr Freeland’s resignation on Monday, when he was scheduled to deliver a key speech on the national budget, was “a huge shock to the government”. “I think this could hasten the end of the Trudeau government.”
Analysts say there are several possible outcomes to the current political crisis.
Prime Minister Trudeau could be forced by his own party to resign as Liberal leader, who could choose a new leader. Freeland is being considered as a candidate. The Liberals will eventually have to hold fresh elections, but with a new leader at the top they hope they can reduce their expected defeat to the Conservatives, who hold a significant lead in opinion polls. I am doing it.
Alternatively, Prime Minister Trudeau could call an election and lead the Liberals to the polls himself. This is what he says he is trying to do.
Alternatively, the opposition in parliament could introduce a motion of no confidence, triggering new elections. However, their attempts to do so have so far failed.
Jonathan Malloy, a political science professor at Carleton University, said Trudeau may not have long to live. “There’s a lot of pessimism and people are angry with the government,” he said.
And it doesn’t help that President Trump calls Canada the 51st state.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that Mr. Trump has a talent for finding weaknesses in people,” Malloy said. “And he hit directly at Canada’s main problem, which is that the United States sees Canada as essentially nothing more than the 51st province.”
Tracy Wilkinson, staff writer in the Times’ Washington bureau, contributed to this report.
