NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign after Chrystia Freeland left her post as finance minister this morning. Singh, however, did not call for an election and did not say that his party would end its support for the minority government. The call for resignation came amid Canadian media reports that the prime minister is actually considering resignation. “Sources tell CTV News that the prime minister has conveyed to the cabinet that he is considering prorogation or resignation, and he’s potentially planning to address Parliament this afternoon,” CTV reported.
“People are having a very hard time paying for groceries. Young people can’t find affordable housing. And beyond that, we have the threat of Trump’s tariffs, and that’s putting hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada in danger,” Jagmeet Singh said. “And instead of dealing with issues that are important for Canadians, the Prime Minister is dealing with fighting in his own party. It’s clear that the Prime Minister cannot continue.”
Trudeau has lost control: Pierre Poiloevre
Conservative leader Pierre Poiloevre said in his press conference on Monday slammed Jagmeet Singh as the one person who is still supporting Trudeau at a time when his cabinet ministers are walking out on him. “Why is Jagmeet Singh making the entire country wait for him to get his pension? That is the question today,” Poiloevre said adding that the Trudeau government is spiralling out of control. “Justin Trudeau has lost control, but he’s hanging onto power,” Poilievre said.
“All this chaos, all this division, all this weakness is happening as our largest neighbour and closet ally is imposing 25% tariffs under a recently elected Trump with a strong mandate, a man who knows how to identify weakness.”
Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said that Trudeau had told her Friday that he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and that he offered her another role in the Cabinet. But she said in her resignation letter to the prime minister that the only “honest and viable path” was to leave the Cabinet.
“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland said. Freeland said that Canada is dealing with US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping 25% tariffs and should eschew “costly political gimmicks” it can “ill afford”. “Our country is facing a grave challenge,” Freeland said in the letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”
