Canadian PM Trudeau Under Fire After Cabinet Member Resigns – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:43 PM – Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Facing mounting calls for his resignation from all corners of Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began the week embroiled in a struggle for his position.
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On Monday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland stepped down in protest.
Freeland, once seen as a steadfast ally of Trudeau and the second-in-command, announced her resignation mere hours before she was set to unveil the government’s fiscal plan and national budget. In her resignation letter, she referenced ongoing disputes that trace back to the fall.
She also noted that Trudeau had instructed her to resign from her finance minister role and assume a different cabinet position just a few days prior.
“Upon further reflection, I have concluded that my only honest and viable choice is to resign from the Cabinet,” Freeland remarked.
In response, Trudeau appointed Dominic LeBlanc, the minister of public safety, as the new finance minister. LeBlanc affirmed that he and Trudeau would address the rising cost of living in Canada and seek mutual ground with Trump on tariffs.
On Monday evening, Trudeau made brief remarks at a liberal caucus meeting, contrasting his administration’s objectives with those of the Conservative Party, acknowledging some recent difficulties while urging Canadians to continue their support.
On Tuesday, Trudeau took to X to share points that American mainstream media criticized as “Trumpian.”
“We are enhancing efforts to secure our border: By deploying new helicopters, drones, and surveillance technology. By introducing new scanners and sniffer dog teams to prevent and seize fentanyl. By combatting the money laundering funding cross-border crime,” the Prime Minister communicated.
Calls for Trudeau’s resignation intensified from Conservative lawmakers as early as October.
On Monday, Members of Parliament from various parties revived that sentiment. Liberal MP Francis Drouin stated to Canadian publication True North that while he had previously supported Trudeau, he no longer viewed a path forward without his departure.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre declared Trudeau’s leadership unmanageable.
Poilievre renewed demands for a new election on Monday. Additionally, Bloc Québécois leader MP Yves-François Blanchet called for an election and urged Trudeau to disband the government in the coming year.
In light of President-elect Donald Trump’s warnings of imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, discontent among Canadian politicians has escalated. Freeland characterized Trump’s policies as aggressive economic nationalism in her resignation note.
Trump announced last month that on his first day in office, he intends to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, claiming this would compel those nations to address drug trafficking and illegal immigration issues in the U.S. Trudeau had also recently met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the leaders characterized their discussion as productive.
To respond to the tariffs, the 13 provincial and territorial premiers of Canada convened on Monday, also anticipating Freeland’s comments regarding the federal government’s financial stance and reaction to Trump.
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