Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland quit after a clash with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is already dealing with political challenges.
According to CNN, Trudeau, who gained victory in 2015, is facing one of the biggest tests of his political career after one of his most loyal ministers, Freeland, resigned from the cabinet on Monday, December 16, 2024, after differences with the PM on the governmental policies, including how to handle upcoming US tariffs from Donald Trump’s administration.
The resignation of the finance minister right before the annual fiscal update has raised questions about whether the prime minister, ruling for almost a decade, can survive new political turmoil.
Freeland said, “Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including the threat of 25 percent tariffs.”
She emphasised, “We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” arguing that the country must get rid of “costly political gimmicks” in favour of “keeping our fiscal powder dry” so “we have the reserves we may need for a coming trade war.
Moreover, political experts believe that one of Canada’s youngest-ever leaders, who vowed to stay prime minister, will not “recover” from the recent challenges.
Tari Ajadi, assistant professor of political science, noted, “If it was almost impossible for him to come back, to be competitive again, to convince Canadians or change their minds about him, I think this basically makes it impossible now.”
Notably, at least seven Liberal members of parliament have so far publicly demanded Trudeau step down, and as per CBC News sources, numerous party lawmakers have also made similar demands privately.
