Why the Trudeau era has come to an end

For months now, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been asked variations of the same question: “Will he resign?”

But although he promised to remain leader of the Liberal Party – despite deepening frustrations among voters and a political rival emerging in the polls – even the self-described “fighter” could not withstand the growing chorus of members of the Liberal Party. his own party who were asking him to leave office. give up.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I have to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best choice in those elections,” Trudeau admitted on Monday, announcing his resignation in front of Rideau Cottage, his official residence for most of the last decade.

He will remain as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is elected, at a date yet to be determined by the party.

Trudeau came to power almost a decade ago, heralded as the new face of progressive politics.

In 2015, influenced by his youthful charisma and a hopeful political message, voters catapulted the third-place Liberals to a majority of seats in parliament, unprecedented in Canadian political history.

Now, he remains the only leader still standing among his peers when he took office, from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and David Cameron, and, at 53, he is currently the longest-serving leader in the country. G7.

But in the years since his rise to the world stage and through two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party’s fortunes.

Paul Wells, a Canadian political journalist and author of Justin Trudeau on the Ropes, recently told the BBC that he believes Trudeau will be remembered “as an important prime minister,” particularly for providing genuine leadership on issues such as indigenous reconciliation and, even to a certain point, climate policy.

But he is also someone “who felt increasingly disconnected from public opinion and increasingly unable to adapt to the new times.”

On Monday, Trudeau was quick to tout what he was proud of accomplishing in office, including managing the tumultuous Covid pandemic, renegotiating a free trade deal with the last Trump administration and implementing a widely considered child subsidy. as an aid to alleviate poverty.

But a series of ethics scandals early on began to take the shine off the new administration: It was found to have violated federal conflict-of-interest rules in its handling of a corruption investigation. The SNC-Lavalin affair – and for luxury trips to the Bahamas.

In 2020, he faced scrutiny for choosing a charity linked to his family to manage a major government program.

In the 2019 general election, his party was reduced to a minority, meaning the Liberals had to rely on support from other parties to stay in power.

An early election in 2021 did not improve their fortunes.

More recently, Trudeau faced headwinds due to cost-of-living increases and inflation that have contributed to electoral setbacks around the world.

There was also frustration in the country over what were seen as struggles to deliver on big promises – an agenda that was “overloaded, overloaded,” Wells said – and its handling of issues such as immigration.

Late last year, the Liberals backtracked on their ambitious immigration goals over fears the issue was being mismanaged, significantly cutting the number of newcomers allowed into Canada.

He also sometimes gave his opponents easy political victories, even when it came to light that he had worn black and brownface before taking office.

And after more than nine years in power, he is among Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers, and there is a general sense of fatigue and frustration with his government.

So the writing was on the wall.

A series of political coups made it clear that Trudeau’s days were numbered.

Over the summer, voters rejected Liberal candidates in a handful of special elections in once-safe Liberal seats, leading to the beginning of internal unrest in the party.

He had become an increasingly polarizing figure for the electorate, with Trudeau saying on Monday that “it’s time for a reset” and for the “temperature to turn down” in Canadian politics.

Public opinion polls also reached new heights, and attempts to turn the tide with cabinet changes and tax breaks failed to make a dent.

A holiday poll by the Angus Reid Institute suggested the lowest level of support for the party in its tracking, which dates back to 2014.

Polls suggest that the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, a 45-year-old career politician with a flair for a sharp campaign slogan, would handily win an election if it were held today.

The political instability comes as the country faces a series of challenges, including the promise of US President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.

Until the end, however, Trudeau seemed determined to hold on, citing his desire to take on Poilievre – his ideological opposite – in the polls.

But the shocking resignation of Trudeau’s key deputy minister, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December – citing her apparent failure to take Trump’s threats seriously – proved to be the last straw.

Members of his own party began to make it publicly clear that they no longer supported his leadership.

And with that, the last domino fell.