Reaction to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor has ranged from glee to outrage to uncertainty.
The past few months have been tumultuous for Trudeau to say the least. From sinking public opinion polls to weakened support from his own caucus, the writing was on the wall when it came to his political future. At least two dozen individual MPs and several regional caucuses — including Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario — called for him to step down.
“It has become obvious to me with the internal battles that I cannot be the one to carry the Liberal standard into the next election,” Trudeau stated during a news conference outside of outside his official residence, Rideau Cottage.
705BLACKFLY.COM reached out to Parry-Sound Muskoka Conservative MP Scott Aitchison for his response to Trudeau’s resignation.
“Thousands of Canadians from Parry Sound-Muskoka and beyond might be relieved today that Justin Trudeau may finally be leaving, but nothing has really changed,” said a written statement from Aitchison’s office. “Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential Liberal leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last 9 years, with the Carbon Tax, housing prices that have doubled, and an out of control $62 billion deficit, just to name a few.”
The statement, which echoed a video statement released by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre after Trudeau’s resignation, promised that the ‘Common Sense Conservatives’ will focus on building homes, fixing the budget and stopping crime.
“Canadians can take back control of their lives and their country with a Conservative government that will bring home Canada’s promise that every hardworking Canadian gets a powerful paycheque and pension that buys affordable food and homes on safe streets; where all are united for the country we know and love: Canada first, Canada last, Canada always. Let’s bring it home.”
The most recent parliamentary session was scheduled to resume from its winter break on January 27th, after which Trudeau’s minority government could have faced a non-confidence motion from opposition parties that would have triggered a federal election. In his resignation speech on Monday, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Parliament would be prorogued until March 24. The move will give the Liberal party time to find a new leader. According to the Liberal Party’s constitution, the party’s president — currently Sachit Mehra — must call a meeting of the national board of directors to be held within 27 days of a leader announcing their intention to resign.
On Monday morning, Mehra confirmed that he will call a meeting “to be held this week to begin the nationwide democratic process of selecting a new leader of the party.”
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The board is empowered to appoint an interim leader in consultation with the Liberal caucus, but the outgoing leader can also choose to remain in the job until a new leader is chosen by a leadership vote. Trudeau will remain in power until his successor is chosen, and his government will be forced to deal with tariff threats from the new Trump administration in the U.S., which takes office on January 20th.
That battle will be a difficult one. Trump reacted to Trudeau’s resignation with a post on his Truth Social platform saying, “Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.”
“If Canada merged with the U.S.,” Trump continued, “there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!”
Not only did the post draw ire from Canadians on social media, Ontario Premier Doug Ford lashed back during a news conference on Monday afternoon about the threat of looming tariffs and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he’ll step down..
“You know something, to the president I’ll make him a counteroffer; How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?” the premier jested.
Yesterday, Ford appeared on CNN and BBC News to speak about the looming tariffs and the role that the battered Liberal Party will have in fighting them.
“We need an all-hands-on-deck approach. We need the prime minister to continue doing his job,” he said, adding that if the tariffs do go ahead, Canada will have to retaliate.
“The prime minister said he would sit down with all the premiers for a face-to-face meeting. I still want to hold him to that promise. He still will be prime minister for a month, maybe two months. That has to be his number one focus.”
