Justin Trudeau resigned as leader of Canada’s governing party after nearly a decade as prime minister. He announced that parliament will be prorogued until 24 March, and the country deserves a real choice at the next election. Former Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and former central banker Mark Carney are among the potential successors.
The Liberal Party must now find a new leader to compete in a general election. Some top contenders include former Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland, former central banker Mark Carney, Anita Anand, François-Philippe Champagne, Melanie Joly, Dominic LeBlanc, and former provincial premier Christine Clark. The Liberal Party of Canada’s president, Sachit Mehra, plans to convene a meeting of the National Board this week to select a new leader of the party.
Canadians say US ties are strong despite Trump’s jabs, with Trump suggesting Canada should merge with the US as its 51st state. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, saying “Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State.”
If Canada merged with the US, there would be no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be secure from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships.
Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, which would devastate Canada’s economy and mocked Trudeau as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.” A Canadian minister who accompanied Trudeau said it was “in no way a serious comment.”
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), has been giving his reaction to Trudeau’s decision to resign, stating that Trudeau and the Liberal Party have “let down Canadians” and that they do not deserve another chance.
Singh also aims at the Conservatives, describing them as “another serious threat to the middle class” and warning they will make “cuts” that will harm Canadians.
Singh says he will vote against the government in any vote of confidence and wants an election. He also says it is “completely wrong” for the Liberals to prorogue parliament.
The centre-left NDP party is the fourth largest in the Canadian House of Commons and pulled the plug on a two-and-a-half-year-old agreement with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals that had helped keep his minority government in power.
