Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in early January, kicking off an accelerated search for a new party leader. In months prior, Trudeau’s chance to remain Prime Minister went from doubtful to extremely slim. Early September of 2024 saw the left-wing New Democratic Party pull their support from Trudeau’s Liberal Party. Since the last Canadian election, the Liberal Party has operated a minority government, supported by other parties like the New Democratic Party to give them their majority. This left Trudeau vulnerable, as a vote of no confidence could have him removed if the other parties wished.

The presidential victory of Donald Trump presented a new challenge for Trudeau’s government. Trump’s threats of a blanket 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports was disheartening for Canadians already facing a difficult cost-of-living crisis. Facing this and internal conflicts with Trudeau, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet in mid-December. 

“Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism,” Freeland wrote in her resignation letter to Trudeau. “We need to take that threat extremely seriously…That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.” 

These events, combined with polling numbers predicting that the Liberal Party wouldn’t even take second place in the 2025 Federal elections, killed any sizable chance of Trudeau remaining in power. Among his possible replacements, former Deputy PM and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and former governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney are some of the top figures to succeed him.

Article by Oscar Guillemin