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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will reportedly heed calls to resign as his political situation grew untenable in recent weeks.
Trudeau will announce he is stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party during a news conference on Monday morning, the CBC reported. He will stay on as prime minister until a successor is chosen, according to the Canadian broadcaster.
Why It Matters
Trudeau has faced mounting pressure to resign amid polling that showed his ruling Liberal Party was likely to be swept out of power in the next election by the opposition Conservative Party. The prime minister has also become deeply unpopular over a range of issues, including the soaring cost of living and immigration. His leadership was further thrown into question when his finance minister abruptly quit in December.
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The political upheaval in Canada comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatens to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods if Canada does not stop what he calls a flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
What To Know
Canada's soaring costs of living, housing and immigration have significantly hurt Trudeau politically. His approval rating sank to just 22 percent, an all-time low, in December, according to data from the nonprofit Angus Reid Institute.
The Liberal Party's support among decided and leaning voters plummeted to 16 percent, while support for the Conservatives rose to 45 percent.
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Trudeau's resignation "has been a long time coming," Tari Ajadi, an assistant professor of political science at Montreal's McGill University, told Newsweek. "The Liberals have been down in the polls for over a year, and the electoral situation is, at this point, unrecoverable for Mr. Trudeau."
Ajadi said the "cost of living crisis and housing crisis that mean many Canadians cannot make ends meet are largely blamed on policies passed under the Liberal Party's reign, despite Canada doing comparatively well compared to other countries in the G7 on metrics like inflation and GDP growth."
But Trudeau's "rhetorical style and affect has come across to many Canadians as disingenuous and disconnected," he added.
Resignation of Top Minister
The resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland "was the last nail in the coffin," Ajadi said.
Freeland wrote in her resignation letter that the "only honest and viable path" was to resign after Trudeau offered her another position in the Cabinet. She said she and Trudeau had been "at odds" about how to handle the incoming Trump administration and criticized his handling of the economy.
"She was his most loyal and most prominent minister, given the role of deputy prime minister and largely viewed as the next most powerful person in his government to him," Ajadi said.
"Her resignation and especially her assertion that he did not have the best interests of Canadians at heart...indicated that the situation within the party has become untenable."
Threat of No-Confidence Motion
All three opposition parties have said they would support a vote to end Trudeau's minority government.
Trudeau's Liberals do not hold an outright majority in Parliament and have long relied on the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP) to pass legislation and remain in power. But that support is now gone. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said last month that he would introduce a no-confidence motion when Parliament reconvenes on January 27.
"Justin Trudeau failed in the biggest job a Prime Minister has: to work for people, not the powerful," Singh wrote. "The Liberals don't deserve another chance. That's why the NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them."
Other opposition parties have echoed that sentiment.
"The specter of a loss in a confidence vote in the House of Commons likely sped up this resignation, but ultimately this is an internal caucus issue that has its roots in the belief that Mr. Trudeau will lead the party to electoral oblivion," Ajadi said.
What People Are Saying
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in an interview that the election could take place during the contest for a new Liberal leader. "The Canadian people are not obliged—41 million people are not obliged—to wait around while this party sorts out its s***. Like, these guys could have got rid of Trudeau a year and a half ago," he said.
Chrystia Freeland wrote in her resignation letter: "Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 percent tariffs. We need to take that threat extremely seriously.
"That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment," she wrote.
What's Next
Canada's next election must take place on or before October 20, 2025. Trudeau's resignation could move that date forward so that a new leader and stable government are in place to deal with the incoming Trump administration.
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