Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigns

Justin Trudeau resigned as Prime Minister of Canada on Monday.

The move came after weeks of pressure from his colleagues in Canada’s Liberal Party, amid significant and growing division over how to handle relations with Donald Trump in his second term.

Trump announced on social media after his re-election a plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada, sending Trudeau into a frenzy to try to clean up his relationship with the US president-elect before later canceling it month is sworn in. .

The day after unveiling the idea, Trudeau immediately flew to Mar-a-Lago to do damage control.

During that meeting, reports emerged detailing how Trudeau, 53, begged Trump not to impose the tariffs, claiming it would kill the Canadian economy.

Trump then suggested that the northern neighbors could become America’s 51st state, and in the following weeks he mocked the Canadian leader by calling him Governor Trudeau.

The reason Trump wants to impose tariffs on Canada is to pressure Ottawa to do more to secure the border and stop illegal immigrants from leaking into the US.

Trudeau’s resignation comes on the same day that Congress will move to certify the 2024 U.S. presidential election as a victory for Trump and cement his forward momentum toward regaining office.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Liberal Party called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss how to deal with growing divisions within the party, but Trudeau stepped aside before the meeting could take place.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party elects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau announced in a speech delivered in English and then French.

During remarks at the Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa, Canada on Monday morning, Trudeau announced he will be stepping aside.

Trudeau had been prime minister since November 2015 and lived with his family in Rideau Cottage. He and his wife Sophie, with whom he shares three children, announced their divorce in August 2023.

His term now ends after just over eight years in the Prime Minister’s office.

Amid reports of Trudeau’s impending resignation this week, the Canadian dollar started to rise after a massive, record-breaking dip last month.

Trudeau’s resignation followed Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s resignation in mid-December. On her way out, Freeland mentioned her differences with Trudeau over how to approach Trump’s presidency and his tariff proposal.

Canada is preparing for the general elections at the end of October this year.

Trudeau, once a very popular political leader, has fallen out of favor in recent years – especially as Trump rises in prominence. Only one if five Canadians now feel their country is moving in the right direction with Trudeau at the helm.

And even Trudeau couldn’t downplay the importance of secure borders after announcing in October that Canada would sharply reduce the number of new immigrants entering the country.

He conceded that the influx of permanent citizens over the past four years – a period when President Joe Biden also led the US in record-breaking illegal immigration – was putting too much pressure on the housing market.

This comes after Trudeau often bragged about how Canada welcomed immigrants and newcomers better than other Western countries.

“Even Justin Trudeau wants to close Canada’s borders,” President-elect Trump noted.

In December, just a month after winning a second term, Trump announced his new tariff idea.

He unveiled the plan to impose a 25 percent tax on goods from Mexico and Canada in retaliation for their refusal to help more with the fentanyl and migration crisis.

And for China he wants an additional tariff of 10 percent on top of other tariffs.