Canada’s finance minister resigns as Prime Minister Trudeau grapples with Trump’s new term. political news
Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned in a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faces falling approval ratings and opposition within his own party as well as the prospect of a trade war with the United States. Are.
In her resignation letter, which was posted on Twitter on Monday, Freeland revealed that Trudeau informed her last week that he no longer wanted to see her in the role and would instead offer her another cabinet position. .
Freeland wrote, “Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and practicable course of action for me is to resign from the Cabinet.”
He added, “For the past several weeks, you and I have been at odds about the best path forward for Canada.”
Trudeau did not immediately comment on the resignation, which comes as Canadian provincial leaders meet with Canadian provincial leaders to outline their plans to respond to threats of a trade war with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. Came after a few days.
Trump has vowed to impose 25 percent tariffs on goods coming from Canada and Mexico if the neighboring countries do not stop what he has called an “invasion” of undocumented immigrants and drugs.
The Trudeau government is reportedly developing plans to invest in increased border security and surveillance in response, but faces increasing pressure from Trump to take a tougher stance.
The government was scheduled to table details of the border plan in Canada’s Parliament on Monday in an economic update to be delivered by Freeland.
A former journalist, Freeland has also served as Deputy Prime Minister since 2019. In his resignation letter, he said that he disagreed with the kind of policy the government was pursuing towards its southern neighbour.
Calling Trump’s threat “aggressive economic nationalism,” he said, “Our country faces a grave challenge today.”
He added, “We need to take that threat very seriously.”
“That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so that we have the reserves we need for the coming tariff war. This means avoiding costly political maneuvering, which we cannot afford and which makes Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of this moment.
In another blow to Trudeau, Housing Minister Sean Fraser also announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election.
impending elections
The updates come as Trudeau’s Liberal Party prepares for an election that should be held before the end of October next year. Trudeau has said he plans to remain at the top of the party.
Since the Liberals do not have an outright majority, if the ally New Democratic Party pulls out its support, it could trigger a new election at any time.
Meanwhile, Trump’s victory has sparked domestic concerns that Canada could succumb to global anti-establishment trends, which could see the Conservative Party led by populist Pierre Poilievre return to power for the first time since 2015.
After nearly a decade in power, Trudeau’s approval rating dropped to just 33 per cent in September.
He faces criticism for his handling of high consumer and housing costs, the legacy of his government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, Trump.
The US president-elect and his allies have helped to further color public perception by regularly ridiculing Trudeau. Recently, Trump referred to the prime minister as the “governor” of a “great state”.
It came shortly after Trudeau, who visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, US, last month in an effort to improve ties, said Canada would “respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways.”
Trudeau’s government previously imposed retaliatory tariffs after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum during his first term.
The tariffs were eventually lifted by both countries.
