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The Trudeau Era Has Come to an End

Written by Anoushka Patel Edited by Andrew Hermann and Annika Lilja


Image under Public Domain
Image under Public Domain

On the 6th of December, Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, after nine years in power. In a news conference in front of Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, the PM’s residence since he took office, Trudeau said that although he is a “fighter,” his position had become untenable due to “internal battles” in his governing party, which had led to parliament becoming “paralysed.”


Trudeau confirmed that he intended to stay in the post until “after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process.” He also stated that he had spoken to Canada’s Governor-General Mary Simon and asked her to prorogue Parliament. Proroguing Parliament ends the parliamentary session in Canada, meaning that the government is still in power, but all parliamentary activity is halted until parliament reconvenes. It is expected that this will be on March 24. 


Canadians are unlikely to feel any impact from the prorogation, because in areas that affect most people's daily lives — like health care, education and social welfare — money for provinces has already been agreed upon and allocated in the budget. 

Trudeau justified his decision to prorogue parliament rather than call a snap election by arguing that it would bring about a “reset,” and “it is time for the temperature to come down.”


"Anyone who's been watching politics closely over the past months will know that Parliament has been entirely seized by obstruction, by filibustering and a total lack of productivity," Trudeau said.


Due to the prorogation, Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party will avoid a vote of confidence. Typically, if a government loses a confidence vote, it is expected to resign or seek the dissolution of parliament, triggering a federal election. According to BBC News, polls indicate that if a federal election was to be held now, the opposing Conservative party, whose popularity has soared in opinion polls to a double-digit lead, would win decisively.


Thus, Trudeau’s decision to prorogue parliament can be seen as a political move to buy time for the Liberal Party, giving them longer to choose a new leader in time for the federal elections.


This is not the first time this controversial tactic has been used by Trudeau; he previously suspended parliament in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and controversy over the WE Charity student volunteer grant program.  

After nine years in power, Trudeau saw his popularity plummet from 65% at its highest point, to just 22%, according to the ‘Trudeau-Tracker’ from the Canadian non-profit Angus Reid Institute. 


Trudeau is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who dominated the country's politics in the 1970s and '80s. Once the face of young, liberal politics in Canada, his tenure has been marred by self-inflicted scandals, such as resurfaced photos of him wearing brownface makeup, as well as being reprimanded in 2017 for accepting gifts, including holidays and private helicopter rides. He suffered further blows due to record inflation, high food prices and a domestic housing crisis, which saw prices in some areas jumping by 30-40%, according to The Guardian.


Trudeau was also criticised for what some perceived to be a heavy-handed response to the Freedom Convoy truck protests in early 2022, due to him using unprecedented emergency powers to remove the protesters. 


In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump took aim at Trudeau, claiming that pressure over tariffs led to his resignation, and repeating his taunt that Canada should become “the 51st state.” Trump’s remark is not entirely unfounded, given that pressure mounted on Trudeau last December, when calls for him to resign were compounded by the departure of his long-time ally and deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland. In a public resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of not taking the “grave challenge” presented by US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of 25% tariff on Canadian imports seriously enough.


Since 2019, the Liberal Party has operated a minority government, meaning it requires the support of other parties to pass legislation. Thus far, members of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) have supplied Trudeau with enough votes to maintain control. 


Reacting to Trudeau’s resignation announcement, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he would vote to obstruct the Liberal Party, no matter who the leader is. "They do not deserve another chance," he said. Singh’s rejection of the Liberals prior to the election is likely to protect his party from any backlash they could receive at the October 2025 federal election, over their support for the Liberals’ parliamentary agenda over the last few years.


Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said "nothing has changed" following Trudeau's resignation. "Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years, just like Justin," Poilievre wrote on X. Poilievre’s comments arguably reflect the fact that the main forerunners for the Liberal Party leadership contest, including Chrystia Freeland, Liberal House leader Karina Gould, special economics adviser Mark Carney and Member of Parliament Jaime Battiste, have all been members of the Liberal party for a number of years, and in most cases, part of Trudeau’s top team in his administration. Their closeness to Trudeau may be seen as a political liability in the coming weeks, as Poilievre seeks to implicate them in Trudeau’s failures. 


Poilievre has been a formidable opponent to the weakened Trudeau, and the Conservatives are expected to win a majority government given current polling. 

The Liberal leadership race will conclude with a vote on March 9th 2025, with only Liberal Party members able to vote. The outcome could not only bring an end to the prorogation of Parliament and parliamentary gridlock, but could also shape the party’s future, either reviving it or causing irretrievable damage, as the October election approaches.


 

Sources:


Holmes, O. and Cecco, L. (2025) Why is Canada’s Justin Trudeau stepping down as prime minister?, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/06/why-is-canadas-justin-trudeau-stepping-down-as-prime-minister 


Honderich, H. (2025) What happens next for Canada as Trudeau resigns?, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czjdr98n1kxo 


Maimann, K. and Schmunk, R. (2025) Canadian Parliament is prorogued. Here’s what that means, CBC News Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/prorogue-parliament-canada-meaning-1.7412120 


Trudeau Tracker (2025) Angus Reid Institute. Available at: https://angusreid.org/trudeau-tracker/ 


Yousif, N., Wendling, M. and Sudworth, J. (2025) Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau cites ‘internal battles’ as he ends nine-year run, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c878ryr04p8o 

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