Justin Trudeau to resign as Prime Minister? How did Canada get here?

In 1984, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had to ‘take a walk in the snow’ in Ottawa after his third term. Upon returning, he decided to resign as PM. His son and Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, might have to take a metaphorical walk in the snow of his own. His party members have been calling on him to resign as the Liberal party leader amid a continuing drop in popularity.

Trudeau might resign as early as this week, according to a recent report by The Globe and Mail. This comes amid repeated calls to resign from his former allies and even from the members of his party. If Trudeau resigns this week, it might bring uncertainty for both Canada and the Liberal party, but how did Trudeau and Canada get here?

The disillusionment with the Trudeau regime has been gradual and not sudden.

CANADA’S BLUE EYED BOY TO BID GOODBYE?

Justin Trudeau burst into Canada’s political arena as a liberal political superhero in 2015: an environmentalist, a feminist, and an advocate for immigrants in Canada who formed the first gender-balanced cabinet in the country’s history. Even his rainbow-coloured socks had won hearts at the time.

While it looked like nothing could go wrong for the liberal superhero, Trudeau’s political castle began to crumble in just two years.

Canada’s southern neighbour, the US, underwent a change in administration during this period. The Obama administration was succeeded by Donald Trump, under whom the US saw a severe clampdown on immigration.

Trudeau, however, opened Canada for these immigrants being shunted by the US. “Diversity is our strength”, Trudeau remarked at the time. But it would not remain his strength for a long time.

As he headed to the 2019 polls, controversies sprung up around an undeclared luxury holiday.

Then came Trudeau’s ‘blackfaced’ photos. He was seen dressed as Aladdin for an Arabian Nights party in these photos, which tarnished his image as the ultimate liberal.

At that time, Trudeau’s approval ratings were 63%, but they began to falter after these images went viral.

Then, came the pandemic. The restrictive measures, along with an economic crisis, led to discontent with Trudeau’s administration.

The Canadian PM, however, called in snap elections in 2021, relying on the high vaccination rates in the country during the pandemic. But, just like the 2019 polls, he failed to secure a parliamentary majority.

This was also a time when the world was seeing a right-wing shift amid closed borders and a pandemic. At this time, the Freedom Convoy protests went on for weeks in Canada amid a lockdown.

PANDEMIC OVER, PROBLEMS REMAINED

People found themselves in the middle of inflation and a housing crisis, and they blamed Trudeau’s open immigration policy for it.

Inflation, which has been tamed in the last few months, and a never-seen-before housing crisis have acted as a double whammy for the people of Canada.

Canada’s housing market is one of the most unaffordable. Housing prices rose over 355% between 2000 and 2021, reported The Conversation.

Canada also saw a high unemployment rate.

A survey by the Angus Reid Institute found that 28 per cent of Canadians had seriously considered leaving their current province due to housing affordability issues. This figure is 39 per cent for those who have lived in Canada for less than a decade, which includes many recent immigrants.

In October 2024, Trudeau announced Canada would reduce migration by 21% in 2025, from 500,00 annual migrants to 395,000.

He admitted that his government did not get the balance right.

What added to Trudeau’s woes was the return of Donald Trump in the November 2024 elections in the US.

The US President-elect said he would impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada after taking oath for a second term in the White House. Trump’s announcement was seen as a warning for Canada to control immigration.

It also led to tensions between Trudeau and his deputy prime minister and minister of finance Chrystia Freeland, who resigned on December 16.

This was hours before she would release Canada’s economic plan. She resigned, questioning Trudeau’s ability to deal with the incoming Trump administration.

She accused Trudeau of “costly political gimmicks” over dealing with the issue of “aggressive economic nationalism”.

But now, many within Trudeau’s party and the opposition, including Trudeau’s former ally, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, Jagmeet Singh and others, have asked for Trudeau to resign.

Trudeau might have to take a walk in the snow, and he might even have to resign as his father did. History might repeat itself in Canada and in the Trudeau family.