Justin Trudeau has announced that he is suspending democracy in Canada while his replacement is chosen by Liberal Party apparatchiks.
The Prime Minister’s announcement triggers a leadership contest within the Liberal Party to find his successor.
His announcement comes 8 months before the next scheduled federal election, where public-opinion polls suggest the Liberals are on track to suffer a humiliating defeat, with the Conservatives currently polling towards a majority government.
One recent poll even indicated that the Trudeau Liberals would fall to fourth place in the next election, falling behind the Antifa-sympathizing NDP, and even Quebec’s separatist party.
Trudeau’s resignation comes just after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Housing Minister Sean Fraser became the latest members of his inner circle to leave his cabinet. Freeland quit just hours before Trudeau’s announcement, citing their differences in economic policy.
Freeland accused Trudeau of implementing “costly political gimmicks,” a reference to his recent plan to give a $250 cheque for working Canadians in the spring of 2025, a point of contention between the two after he announced it in November, alongside a two-month GST pause on certain items that started December 14.
Trudeau’s legacy
Trudeau’s nine years will be remembered for a number of scandals, including being found guilty of breaking ethics laws twice. In 2017, Trudeau accepted a vacation on the private island of the Aga Khan, and in 2019, he attempted to influence then-Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould, asking her to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. In both instances, Trudeau was found to have violated the Conflict of Interest Act.
Additionally, a federal judge ruled last year that Trudeau violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by invoking the Emergencies Act against peaceful protesters in Ottawa who were demonstrating against his vaccine mandates. Ironically, at that time, Trudeau was isolating after allegedly contracting COVID-19, despite having received three vaccine doses—the same vaccines he was coercing Canadians to get through travel and employment bans on unvaccinated individuals.
Perhaps most infamously, Trudeau will be remembered by someone who divided Canadians intentionally to win elections, such as when he said unvaccinated Canadians are often extremists and racists who “take up space.”
Canadians also recently learned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been meddling in recent Canadian elections with the intent of helping the Liberals win. Trudeau was briefed on the issue by Canada’s spy agency but feigned ignorance, claiming he was never informed about what the spy agency said they briefed him on.
Who will become the Liberal’s next leader?
In light of Trudeau’s announcement, a new leadership race for the Liberals will be triggered, where a leader will be selected by Liberal Party members.
Polls show that most Liberal MPs are also viewed unfavourably by Canadians, suggesting it’s more likely someone without much Liberal Party affiliation will win.
The Conservatives have been predicting that former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney will become the Liberal’s next leader.
