Here's what you need to know about Trudeau's rise and fall and what's next.
Who is Justin Trudeau?
Trudeau grew up in the spotlight as the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In 2015, at age 43, Trudeau became Canada's second-youngest leader when his Liberal Party won a strong parliamentary majority. Mr. Trudeau is social media savvy and enjoyed a long political honeymoon after his election. (His hair was also beautiful.)
In 2017, Mr. Trudeau came under pressure to stand up to newly elected U.S. president Donald J. Trump. At a time when Trump is restricting immigration, Trudeau reiterated Canada's openness to asylum seekers, declaring that “diversity is our strength.”
Mr. Trudeau prioritized two issues during his time in office. One is climate change. Another is reconciliation with indigenous peoples over the intergenerational harm caused by the abusive residential school system. He also followed through on his promise to legalize marijuana.
In 2019, the Liberal Party remained in power with Trudeau as its leader, but narrowly missed out on gaining a majority in parliament. The Liberal Party needed support from smaller parties to advance Mr. Trudeau's legislative agenda.
During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Trudeau became the first G7 leader to quarantine after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive for the coronavirus. (The couple is now separated.) The following year, when approval ratings were still relatively high, he called for a snap election, saying he wanted to give his party a strong mandate to lead Canada out of the pandemic and into economic recovery. Ta.
Voters reinstated him as prime minister in 2021, but the Liberal Party once again failed to win a majority of votes in parliament. Mr. Trudeau has since faced intense criticism from Conservative opposition parties over some of his pandemic and recovery policies.
Why is his government unpopular?
Economy: Canada's inflation rate soared to 8% after the pandemic, but has since fallen to less than 2%. The unemployment rate remains high at approximately 6.4%. Conservative opposition parties have dealt a blow to Mr. Trudeau's carbon tax plan.
Housing: Housing costs have become unsustainable in many major Canadian cities. An economic analysis this year found that in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, prices would have to plummet or incomes would have to rise impossibly to restore affordability.
Immigration: Prime Minister Trudeau said in October that he would strengthen Canada's immigration policies after the country admitted nearly three million people over three years, straining health care and other services. “During the turbulent times emerging from the pandemic, we have not been able to perfectly balance meeting workforce demands and maintaining population growth,” he said.
Scandal: In 2018, Mr. Trudeau was accused of molesting a reporter in 2000, a charge he denied. The federal Ethics Commission ruled in 2019 that Mr. Trudeau had attempted to circumvent, undermine and discredit former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould. Montreal. That same year, images surfaced of Mr. Trudeau wearing blackface or brownface as a student in the 1990s and as a teacher at a private prep school in 2001.
Infighting: Trudeau's hold on power diminished in September when the left-leaning New Democratic Party stripped the Liberals of the guaranteed support they needed to pass legislation. This week, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned, in a scathing rebuke to Mr. Trudeau.
What will happen if Mr. Trudeau resigns?
If he resigns as party leader, he will no longer be prime minister. But how he resigns is important.
Mr. Trudeau has two options. You can say that in a few weeks or months, when the party has a new leader, you will resign.
Or you can resign immediately. In that case, the party would appoint an interim leader, but that interim leader would not be able to run for leadership under Liberal Party rules.
The next step will be heading to a federal election under new Liberal leadership. Canada's next election must be held by October 2025, but voting could be held or forced earlier.
The next federal election could be held at any time in two ways. Prime Minister Trudeau has the power to dissolve Parliament at any time, which would trigger an election. Alternatively, if the opposition defeats the Liberal government in a confidence motion or rejects the budget, the government will collapse and an election will then be held.
Who is the best candidate to succeed him?
Conservatives: Pierre Poièvre has led the Conservative Party since 2022 and bills himself as anti-Trudeau, pragmatic, and pragmatic. He supported the 2022 lockdown of Canada's capital, Ottawa, led by truck drivers opposed to vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions. Poilievre has been eyeing the top government position since at least 1999. As a university student, he wrote an essay about what he would do as prime minister and won a prize.
Liberal Party: Following her resignation this week, there was widespread speculation that former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland would step in to run the Liberal Party government herself. Other candidates include Dominique LeBlanc, who became finance minister after Freeland resigned. Melanie Joly, Canada's top diplomat from 2021. Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of Canada and former head of the Bank of England.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff contributed reporting.
