Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's turbulent future

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unexpectedly reshuffled his cabinet on December 20th, replacing 12 positions in an attempt to salvage the situation. This move indicates that his government and his position are under immense pressure from opposition parties.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing pressure to resign. (Source: AP)

The unexpected high-level personnel changes on December 20th in Ottawa are considered one of the biggest cabinet reshuffles since Trudeau took office nine years ago. Prior to that, on December 16th, Chrystia Freeland, a Liberal MP, also unexpectedly announced her resignation as Finance Minister just hours before presenting the federal government's fall economic report and discussing disagreements over how to respond to the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Disagreements escalated.

Disagreements over how to respond to Donald Trump's threat of high tariffs on Canadian goods appear to have led to a rift in the relationship between former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Freeland's views differ from Trudeau's on both the severity of the risks posed by Trump's tariff threat and what actions need to be taken.

Ms. Freeland considers this a serious issue and believes the prospect of these tariffs will influence many government decisions right now. For that reason, she opposes the government's plan to send CAD 250 ($174.48) checks to most employed Canadians by April 2025. She argues that Canada may need that money later to support the economy in case of significant business losses, job cuts, and reduced goods and services tax revenue that Trump's tariffs could cause.

Furthermore, Finance Minister Freeland also disagreed with some others in the federal government on the negotiating strategy with Mr. Trump. She advocated delaying concessions for the foreseeable future, fearing that doing so would only encourage more demands from Mr. Trump, while others argued that Ottawa should try to appease the US President-elect before his inauguration in the hope of persuading him not to impose tariffs.

Canadian media commented that Trudeau had considered a cabinet reshuffle in the past, but the sudden resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland forced him to act quickly.

This cabinet reshuffle comes just days after major upheavals within the Liberal Party and is seen as an attempt to bring stability to Canada, despite strong pressure within the party for Trudeau's resignation. In 2024 alone, nine cabinet ministers resigned, announced they would not seek re-election, or were dismissed. CBC News , citing a government source, reported that the timing and scale of this reshuffle are not yet seen as a signal that the Prime Minister has decided on his future.

Surrounded by storms and difficulties.

Questions surrounding Trudeau's future are emerging as his approval ratings decline in recent polls and calls for his resignation grow from within the Liberal Party as well as the opposition.

At a press conference on December 16, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said that Prime Minister Trudeau had lost control and urged the New Democratic Party (NDP) to join other opposition parties to defeat the minority Liberal government. He stressed that “the Finance Minister resigned in the midst of an economic crisis and one-fifth of his (Prime Minister Trudeau's) group has lost confidence in him. That shows that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lost control, but he still holds power.”

Meanwhile, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been supporting the Trudeau government, stated that the ongoing internal infighting within the Liberal Party was hindering the resolution of the country's economic challenges. Singh then called for Prime Minister Trudeau's resignation but did not say his party would lose faith in the Liberal government, which he deemed necessary to secure an election. Despite repeated questioning from reporters about the NDP's stance, Singh simply stated that "all options are open."

Immediately after Finance Minister Freeland announced his resignation on December 16, at least five Liberal MPs also called for Prime Minister Trudeau to resign. Patrick Weiler, a MP from West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast who, just a few months ago, was among several MPs who questioned Trudeau's leadership of the party, said today's developments only reinforced that call.

On December 20th, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh publicly announced the party's intention to hold a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government at the next session of the House of Commons, scheduled for early 2025. In a publicly released letter, he stated that the Liberal Party "does not deserve another chance" and that is why the NDP will hold a vote of no confidence in the current government.

After withdrawing from the agreement with the Liberal Party, the NDP still voted in favor of the government in the last three no-confidence votes, but with this latest announcement, the government is unlikely to survive as all three major opposition leaders want to hold early elections next year.

The Canadian House of Commons is expected to reconvene on January 27, 2025, and a no-confidence motion could occur in late February or early March 2025 if Prime Minister Trudeau has not resigned.

Faced with increasing pressure from opposition parties, particularly with Patrick Weiler's statement that "the Prime Minister has lost the trust of many MPs and the people of the country," whether Trudeau can hold on is an open question in Ottawa.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tuong-lai-song-gio-cua-thu-tuong-justin-trudeau-298201.html