Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under immense pressure to resign with more members of his own party reportedly joining the effort to force Trudeau out after his deputy prime minister resigned and concerns about Donald Trump’s tariffs increase.
Signs are mounting that members of the Liberal Party, which Trudeau has led since 2013, are losing confidence in the prime minister.
In mid-December, Chrystina Freeland, the deputy prime minister and head of finance, unexpectedly resigned citing disagreements over the handling of Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariffs on the country – an issue that could damage the economy.
Already, Trudeau was facing low approval ratings due to the country’s cost of living crisis.
But since then, dozens of Liberal MPs have called on Trudeau to resign. Less than two weeks ago, a majority of Liberal MPs in the province of Ontario agreed, on a call, that Trudeau should step down, according to CBC.
“We’ve reached a breaking point,” said one Liberal who attended the meeting, and was granted anonymity to speak freely, according to Politico. “There’s a critical mass now that has been reached and that was not in place before.”
Ontario is the country’s most populous province, and support from the liberals there would put Trudeau’s support on life-support.
Michael Coteau, the Ontario caucus chair was reportedly tasked with passing the message on to Trudeau. It is unclear if he has done so yet. The prime minister is currently on a ski vacation with his family until January 6, according to reports.
Then, on Friday, George Chahal, a Liberal MP for Calgary Skyview, penned a letter to the liberal caucus urging them to support others in calling for Trudeau to step down and appoint an interim leader.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no longer has the support of caucus and to maintain some dignity he should immediately tender his resignation,” Chahal wrote.
The Independent has reached out to Trudeau’s office for comment.
The developments are in addition to resignation calls from the Liberal Party’s Atlantic caucus, Conservatives and the New Democratic Party.
Conservatives, the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois signaled they will move for a non-confidence vote in January when Parliament returns, claiming the “Liberal government does not have the confidence of Parliament.”
That non-confidence vote could trigger elections in the country.
