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JUST IN: Trudeau Weighs Resignation As Trump’s Return Looms

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Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, delivered a stunning blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, resigning from cabinet just hours before she was scheduled to present the government’s fall economic statement. The abrupt departure is the most significant public fracture within Trudeau’s government to date and has thrown his leadership into uncertainty.

Sources within the Liberal Party told CTV News that Trudeau is now weighing his options as leader, with some members privately expressing concerns about his ability to hold the party together heading into the next election.

Chrystia Freeland

Freeland, who played a central role in steering Canada through trade disputes during the Trump administration and managing the country’s pandemic response, announced her resignation in a sharply worded letter published early Monday. Her decision immediately ignited chaos on Parliament Hill, sparking questions about Trudeau’s leadership and the government’s stability.

In a message shared on social media Monday, she revealed that her decision to shift roles followed an offer from Prime Minister Trudeau for a different Cabinet position. “On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet,” Freeland wrote. “Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet.”

Freeland also criticized Trudeau’s advocacy for higher spending as a mere political tactic, expressing her concerns that it could undermine Ottawa’s capacity to address the impending 25% import tariffs promised by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

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“To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it. For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada. Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 per cent tariffs.”

“We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” Freeland continued. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”

Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, effective January 20 next year.

The fallout was swift. Conservative Party leaders wasted no time demanding a snap election. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh highlighted the economic strain on Canadians, stating, “People can’t afford their groceries.” His remarks were quickly met with loud jeers from Conservative MPs, leading to intervention by the Speaker.

OTTAWA – APRIL 18, 2018: Jagmeet Singh

Once order was restored, Singh reiterated his concern, “Canadians literally cannot afford the groceries they need.” He then criticized the prime minister’s handling of economic threats from abroad, asserting, “Trump is threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs in this country … The prime minister cannot remain in that position. Will he resign?”

“We are calling for Justin Trudeau’s resignation,” said Singh.

Trudeau’s political career began in 2008 when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Papineau. He became the leader of the Liberal Party in 2013 and led the party to a majority government in the 2015 federal election. In recent years, however, Trudeau’s administration has faced challenges, including allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections.

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