It wasn't three months ago that Canadians seemed unable to wait for the end of their nearly ten-year stint as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leader. On January 6th, he announced his intention to resign in a poll showing that most Canadians are deeply unhappy with their country's condition.
But as Trudeau, 53, prepares to officially step down on Friday, his fate took an astonishing turn thanks to President Trump's long-running campaign of attacks on Canada.
Trump ignited a wave of patriotism through tariffs that could lead to repeated verbal attacks on economic destruction and Canadian sovereignty, and Trudeau's rebellion and eloquent skills helped him unite the nation.
“Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not retreat from the fight, not when the happiness of our country and everyone in it is at stake,” he said after Trump temporarily imposed a 25% tariff. “What he wants is to see a complete collapse of the Canadian economy, because it makes it easier to annex us.”
Trudeau unofficially called out the president as “Donald” and said, “You're a very clever person, but this is very stupid.”
During such a difficult time, he handed over the reins and handed over to Mark Carney, the former leader of two major central banks, and was able to take over the prime minister elected on Sunday by Trudeau's Liberal Party members. Kearney will be officially sworn into Canada's next leader on Friday.
Before Trump launched broadside against Canada, which sparked violent feelings of betrayal, rage and resentment, there was growing hope that Trudeau might leave the Liberal Party, as he found out when he became leader in 2013.
Polls consistently showed that the Liberals were chasing their rivals to the Conservative Party, but the gap reached double digits.
Trudeau's decision to resign has begun to reverse the slide. But it is Trump's repeated tariffs on Canadian exports, and he claims that if Canada becomes the 51st state, Canada is a disdainful reference to Trudeau as the “governor” who has significantly changed the political landscape.
Liberals essentially erase the lead that has long been enjoyed by conservatives, and say Canadians believe that Carney can stand up to Trump rather than his conservative leader Pierre Polyelve. To capitalize on that momentum, Carney is expected to call a general election soon.
As Canada confronted Trump's belligerent, Trudeau relied on the speaking skills he used to reassure the country during the community pandemic, which led him to power.
“The University of Saskatchewan has been a great source of political science,” said Michael Atkinson, professor emeritus in political science at the University of Saskatchewan.
Still, on domestic flights, Trudeau has left a deeply troubled country and faces complex and costly challenges, including rising housing costs and rising grocery prices.
Trudeau's photo was far more Roger after reviving the liberals and leading them to a decisive victory in the October 2015 election. He has created the top priorities of climate change, feminism, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, immigration and child poverty. During the pandemic, he introduced programs aimed at workers and businesses that reduce the damage to the economy.
But the mood for Trudeau began to change as he dealt with personal and political failures.
A revelation about his affection for dressing up with his black and brown face before he went into politics and erodes his support. He said “I'm very sorry,” but many people scoffed at his claim that customs were not generally considered racist 20 years ago. Some of the more luxurious holidays he took also attracted criticism.
And Trudeau was widely seen as bullying Jody Wilson Raybold, a female member of his government. She refused to succumb to Trudeau's pressure to do business with a Montreal-based engineering company facing Trudeau's corruption charges. Trudeau said he is acting to save his job, fearing the company's ability to bid on international contracts if he is found criminally guilty.
Wilson Ray resigned from the cabinet and was later expelled from the Liberal Party.
But it was a pocketbook issue, and ultimately sent Trudeau and the liberals' popularity into the downward spiral.
The cost of living in Canada has skyrocketed as the pandemic and the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Inflation was a global issue, with the US and Europe climbing higher and remaining higher, but like other countries, Canadian voters were not likely to hold them accountable. In some major cities, a typical starter home is currently costing $1 million in Canadian dollars, hindering economic mobility.
Poilliebre mercilessly seized Trudeau's vulnerability and seemed to fit more with the national vibe, like “Ax the Tax,” a reference to the carbon tax that Carney vowed to end, using a simple three-word slogan.
When Trudeau sought party leadership 12 years ago, he told the New York Times that he was initially reluctant to pursue a post because of “the amount of garbage that can be thrown at me and my family.”
Before leaving politics in 1984, he hinted at some of the tough times facing Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, whose famous father Pierre Elliott Trudeau, for over 15 years.
“That's the way politics these days, and even worse than I was a child,” he said in an interview with The Times. “I remember seeing my parents go through very difficult times.”
The protest highlighting Trudeau's appeal for decline began in 2022 by the truck driver who paralyzed downtown Ottawa.
The black flag containing vulgarity before Trudeau's name flies often still fly if it disappears and is ragged in many rural areas.
Trudeau has not spoken publicly about what he will do next. But those who know him suggest that he will become his family after his separation from his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau last year.
Immigration Minister Mark Miller, who is 11 years old and two of them Montreal's classmates, predicts he will return to his personal life, centering on three children.
“He probably wants to get the time to air his brain,” Miller said. “It's probably unhappy for anyone who's really eager to what his next step is, but that's where his current state of thought lies.”
But over the past few days, Trudeau has been very clear about what is in his mind.
In his farewell speech to the liberals on Sunday, he reminded Canada that there is sometimes a need for a fight. He then uttered two words that the hockey-loving Canadian instantly understood and became a cry of war: “Look your elbow.”
