By Elliott Meijer
College students at Toronto Metropolitan College (TMU) are chiming in on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation as chief of the Liberal Celebration of Canada.
Trudeau stood outdoors his Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa on Jan. 6 to announce his stepping down, an act that sparked debate and uncertainty amongst Canadians.
Trudeau’s announcement got here simply two weeks after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her place in an open letter to the prime minister, posted to social media on Dec. 16, 2024.
Within the letter, Freeland claimed that Trudeau and her had discovered themselves “at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” while warning of potential financial threats posed by the incoming Trump administration in the USA.
“[Trudeau] should’ve stepped down about a year ago,” mentioned Diego Rivera, a second-year historical past scholar at TMU. “The [most] important figure of his cabinet resigning is a very telling figure as to how weak of a leader he’s become,” Rivera added.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser introduced his resignation, a day previous to Freeland, on Dec. 15, 2024, stating that he wouldn’t run within the subsequent federal election.
With two main cupboard ministers stepping down inside a span of 24 hours, emotions in direction of Trudeau inside the Liberal Celebration quickly soured—worsened by record-low approval rankings and a hovering opposition, in keeping with the Angus Ried Institute.
Alongside together with his resignation, the prime minister introduced the choice to prorogue Parliament till Mar. 24, granted by Governor Normal Mary Simon. Because of this, no committee will be capable of sit for over 60 days—till the subsequent session is summoned.
Any bills put ahead previous to prorogation which had not but obtained Royal Assent—the adoption by each homes of parliament—are “entirely terminated,” in keeping with the Home of Commons.
When that subsequent session is summoned, there will probably be a brand new face of the Liberal Celebration of Canada, who could need to cope with a immediate vote of non-confidence from the nation’s 5 oppositional events.
Robert Goodman, assistant professor of politics {and professional} administration at TMU, feels this prorogation comes at an unlucky time, with Canada “coming under tremendous stress” from United States President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs.
“We’re entering this time with a lot less clarity and ability to respond than we ought to have…I don’t think this is a great time for Parliament not to be sitting,” mentioned Goodman, who believes the Liberal Celebration’s “best hope” can be to “provide some sort of distance” from the Trudeau Authorities transferring ahead.
“We are in an anti-incumbent, sort of anti-establishment moment, and to the extent that the Liberal Party can accommodate itself to that, that’s probably the best strategic move it can make in this situation,” mentioned Goodman.
First-year efficiency manufacturing scholar Rose Djamshiat shares an identical perspective, saying, “I’ve heard a lot of different opinions [from] people wanting to still continue voting for the Liberal Party that were originally not going to, purely because it was Trudeau.”
Regardless of the choice for a brand new Liberal chief being extensively accepted as a step ahead for the social gathering, Goodman warns that “unless there’s a radical shift in polling, the Liberal Party is going into opposition, and it needs to take that time to think about what it really stands for and what sets it apart from the opposition.”
Based on Abacus Polls, the present entrance runners to succeed Trudeau are former Governor of the Financial institution of Canada Mark Carney and the aforementioned Freeland, who introduced their management runs on Jan. 16, and Jan. 17, respectively.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Celebration of Canada at the moment holds a large lead in all federal polling and has for the higher a part of the final 18 months.
