Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he would bow to angry voters and resign in the coming months amid an uncertain economic outlook and continued political infighting.
The announcement, made amid a deadlock in Congress, sparked political turmoil in Canada just as the incoming Trump administration has vowed to impose punitive tariffs on Canadian imports.
“It's time for a reset,” Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters outside his official residence on a frigid morning in the capital, Ottawa. Prime Minister Trudeau has suspended Parliament until March 24 and said he will remain Liberal leader and prime minister until a national party election elects his successor.
“I truly feel that removing the controversy surrounding my own continued leadership is an opportunity to lower the temperature,” he said.
Mr. Trudeau, 53, who came to power nearly a decade ago and quickly became seen as a progressive symbol, has been swept up in recent days by an anti-incumbent mood, a backlash against immigration and anger at the nation. is the leader of the West. The effects of surging inflation during the coronavirus pandemic will linger. Although Canada's inflation rate has retreated to below 2%, unemployment remains high at over 6%.
A general election must be held by October, and Prime Minister Trudeau mentioned that timeline on Monday.
“The internal struggle has made it clear that I will not be able to carry on the Liberal Party's standards at the next election,” he said.
Mr. Trudeau has been facing increasing pressure from within his own party for weeks.
In December, Mr. Trudeau's deputy prime minister and finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly resigned, in a scathing rebuke of Mr. Trudeau's leadership and stewardship of the country. Freeland, a close ally of the prime minister, accused Trudeau of engaging in “expensive political maneuvering” and being unprepared to face the challenges posed by Trump.
Her resignation prompted calls from Liberal MPs for her to resign for the sake of the party and for someone else to lead the party in the general election.
Mr. Trudeau was also under pressure from the resurgent Conservative Party, which has a double-digit lead over the Liberals in recent polls. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre posted a video on social media on Monday promoting an alternative vision for governance. “Abolish the tax,” “build a house,” “fix the budget,” and “stop the finances,” referring to Prime Minister Trudeau's unpopular carbon tax. crime. “
The confusion comes as Canada debates how best to respond to Trump's pledge to impose tariffs that would upend the trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico. (Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, saying he wants both countries to address the flow of drugs and illegal immigration into the United States).
Tariffs could be devastating for Canada's economy, which is particularly dependent on oil and auto exports. The United States and Canada are each other's largest trading partners.
Prime Minister Trudeau visited Trump in late November at his private club and mansion, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, where the government was in talks to address the president-elect's concerns about border security and to ensure that the president made policy decisions. I was hoping they would reconsider. Threat of tariffs.
The talks appear to have been fruitless. In early December, Trump mocked Trudeau in a social media post, describing the Canadian prime minister as the “Gov. Justin Trudeau of Canada.”
On Monday, Trump reacted to Prime Minister Trudeau's resignation by once again suggesting Canada should become the “51st state” of the United States and saying on social media that taxes would be reduced and tariffs would be eliminated if Canada merged with the United States. said.
Among the candidates to replace Mr. Trudeau is Mr. Freeland, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister. Dominique LeBlanc became finance minister following Freeland's resignation. 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.
Prime Minister Trudeau said his government has been bogged down by a lack of a parliamentary majority, saying on Monday that the legislature is “completely dominated by obstruction, filibusters and a complete lack of productivity.”
In his comments in French, he painted an even grimmer picture of a parliament that is “no longer functional.”
The prorogation of Parliament, a process known as adjournment, will give the party time to choose a new leader, who Trudeau said will be selected through a “robust nationwide competitive process.” A new, and perhaps more popular, leader could give the Liberal Party a stronger foothold in the upcoming national election.
Proroguing Congress invalidates any pending legislation, but does not affect the day-to-day operations of the government.
Trudeau spent a decade building a political brand as a feminist, environmentalist, advocate for refugees and indigenous peoples, pursuing the same message of change and hope as Barack Obama. But analysts say Mr. Trudeau's brand of seeming antithesis to Mr. Trump is no longer working for him.
“He rode a wave along the way, and when you ride a wave, you feel good,” said Darrell Bricker, an experienced pollster and chief executive officer of Ipsos Public Affairs. “But on the other hand, if you don't get off, you're going to run aground.”
An Ipsos poll released in late December found the Liberals trailing the Conservatives by 25 points.
The next election must be held by October, but voting could be called or forced earlier.
A Liberal government under a new prime minister could be short-lived. And the Liberal government is likely to face a vote of confidence soon after the new session begins. Such votes would likely be lost, as the party holds only a minority of seats in parliament and has lost the support of all other parties. That would prompt a federal election.
The prime minister has the power to dissolve parliament at any time, which would also trigger an election.
