Trudeau’s resignation: What is Canada’s future?

Justin Trudeau, likely best known for legalising marijuana and his impeccable cheek bones, has been leader of the ninth richest country in the world for almost a decade. Yet his global popularity has not been matched by the average Canadian for some time now, as an increasingly large proportion of the population have disapproved of a Trudeau government since early 2021.

It’s hard to pin down a single reason for Trudeau’s chronic lack of support among the Canadian public. There are several policies and issues that Canadians feel he has failed to address or has implemented badly: a lack of economic growth, a hefty carbon tax, and the blossoming housing crisis to name a few. It seems the main reason for Trudeau’s lack of popularity is that he’s been in power for almost ten years. Show me a politician with a positive image after ten years in power, and I’ll show you a politician with a lot of pollsters on their payroll. The simple fact is that no matter how skilled a leader is, they have an expiration date, and Trudeau has certainly started to smell wrong.

By waiting so long to resign, he has all but assured a massive victory for the conservatives

It is obvious that Trudeau would have no chance in the next Canadian election, set for 20 October this year, with Trudeau’s liberal party predicted to lose a no-confidence vote as soon as 30 January. The question is whether Trudeau should have resigned earlier and given his colleges more time to prepare for the upcoming election: to me, the answer is yes. As it stands, the Liberals could have as little as one month to elect a new leader of the party if a no-confidence vote is lost – if this happens, Trudeau could even be forced to attempt a prorogation of parliament. A move like prorogation, which could be considered illegal, is hardly going to help the cause of Trudeau’s successor. 338 Canada currently projects the Liberals to perform so badly that they won’t even become the main party of opposition, a level of electoral failure of almost Trussian proportions.

The dire situation faced by the Liberal party, and the likely landslide win by the conservatives, could have been avoided if Trudeau hadn’t echoed Biden and waited far too long to realise that his approval rating was terminal. An incumbent deciding not to run for office is always a difficult and complicated one, but in reality, there is no possible way that Trudeau had planned to run in the next election – by waiting so long to resign, he has all but assured a massive victory for the conservatives. The delay in resignation is not necessarily the fault of the sexiest world leader, but it is a huge tactical blunder.

Trump […] recently mocked Trudeau, calling him the governor of Canada, and implying that Canada should become the 51st US state

Trudeau’s successor as Prime Minister will face a significant challenge in keeping smooth relations with Canada’s biggest trading partner, the United States. Incoming tariff-mad president Donald Trump has threatened a 25% tariff on all trade with Canada, and there has been widespread belief that Trudeau would not be capable of delivering what is needed for his country. This worry was cited in the resignation letter of key ally of Trudeau and favourite to be the new leader of the liberals, Chrystia Freeland. Freeland, along with many other Canadians, feels that the new Prime Minister will be hard pressed to find a compromise with Trump who has recently mocked Trudeau, calling him the governor of Canada, and implying that Canada should become the 51st US state. Despite this remark being a joke, it gives us a glimpse into Trump’s mind, and it’s clear that he sees Canada as Robin to the US’s Batman.

The openly shown distain by the soon-to-be leader of the ‘free world’ casts a shadow over the future of Canada, demonstrating the need to unite the country against the man in the long red tie. Trudeau has made no new friends by resigning so late – though he was an effective and likable Prime Minister, as with many other talented leaders (including his father), his greatest failure has been a reluctance to say goodbye to power.