Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing mounting pressure to resign and is expected to make an announcement about his political future this week, The Associated Press reports.
The Prime Minister, who has seen his popularity plummet amidst a range of issues including soaring living costs, has remained publicly silent in recent weeks despite calls for him to step down, especially after the abrupt resignation of his Finance Minister on December 16.
Trudeau has now returned to Ottawa after the Christmas holiday break, facing a political landscape that appears increasingly untenable. While all three opposition parties have declared their willingness to support a vote to topple his minority government, Parliament is not currently in session, providing him with a temporary reprieve. However, growing dissent within his own Liberal party is amplifying the pressure on him to resign.
Although there isn’t a mechanism to force Trudeau out immediately, should he hold on until Parliament reconvenes later this month, his Liberal party could be ousted from power via a no-confidence vote, which would trigger an election. Such an election is widely expected to favor the opposing Conservative Party.
The 53-year-old Trudeau, initially lauded for restoring the country to its liberal roots when he was elected in 2015, has seen his popularity significantly decline in recent years. This political turbulence coincides with a difficult period for Canada.
US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose hefty 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods if Canada does not control what he describes as the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States. This threat comes despite data indicating that substantially fewer migrants and drugs cross into the US from Canada than from Mexico.
Despite the ongoing crisis, Trudeau is slated to participate virtually in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-US Relations on Monday.
If Trudeau does opt to step down as party leader, the Liberals might try to delay the return of Parliament, allowing them time to select a new leader.
Since Trudeau’s Liberals hold a minority in Parliament, they have been relying on the support of the NDP to pass legislation and remain in power. However, that support has now vanished. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made it clear last month that his party will vote to bring down the government, a sentiment echoed by the other opposition parties.
