The long reign of Justin Trudeau as Canada's prime minister entered its final stage on Monday, with the Liberal leader announcing that he was stepping down both as PM and head of his party. That sets up a long goodbye over the next few months, as Trudeau will remain in power until his divided party can pick a new leader and an election can be held. A look at what happened and what's next:
- 'The writing was on the wall:' That's the BBC's take as it runs through a Liberal Party on the wane over the last few years, and increasingly in conflict over the last several months—most prominently with staunch Trudeau loyalist and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland quitting her post last month. Freeland cited President-elect Trump's tariff threats in her decision. Trudeau had dodged calls for him to resign, but Freeland might have been the death knell.
- Inside the downfall: Bloomberg notes that issues like inflation and immigration pushed Canada to the right, and Trudeau's administration began to seem out of touch, leading to party in-fighting. Trudeau's popularity had been on the decline after nine years in office, notes the Washington Post, and it's "rare in Canadian politics for a prime minister to rack up four election wins in a row." Trudeau has been running minority governments since 2019, relying on the New Democratic Party to pass legislation. Though Trudeau had been popular upon taking office (Vogue memorably dubbed him a "Canadian politician-dreamboat"), the first in a series of political scandals emerged in 2017, per the New York Times. It has the details on them.
- Trudeau's successor: Whoever succeeds Trudeau is in for a ride, reports the AP. "If Trump applies tariffs, a trade war looms. Canada has vowed to retaliate." With inflation already an issue, that's going to put the next PM in a pickle with a disgruntled electorate.
- The timeline: The Liberals need to pick a new leader before Parliament resumes on March 24 and triggers a new election, and the party faces steep headwinds—polls show the Conservatives leading the Liberals in polls 44% to 20%, with the NDP at 19%, so the Liberal Party leader isn't looking likely to be the PM.
- Successor, II: Freeland's name is being bandied about as the next party leader, which the AP notes would be sure to irk Trump: She's a liberal former journalist who supports Ukraine in its war with Russia; Trump has already called her "not at all conducive to making deals." Also on the list is former central bank governor Mark Carney, who helped Canada dodge the brunt of the 2008 economic crisis and Britain navigate Brexit. He says he is talking it over with his family.
Meanwhile, Trump greeted Trudeau's resignation with a
call for a US-Canada merger. (More
Justin Trudeau stories.)
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