Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is not expected to announce a decision on his future over the holidays
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is not expected to announce a decision on his future over the holidays
TORONTO (AP) — Embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not expected to announce a decision on his future over the Christmas holidays, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The prime minister will be traveling to British Columbia with his family from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2.
Concerns about Trudeau’s leadership were exacerbated last week when Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s finance minister and deputy prime minister, abruptly resigned from the Cabinet after she was told she would no longer be finance minister. A growing number of Liberal Members of Parliament want Trudeau to step aside fearing the party is headed for an historic defeat.
It remains an open question whether Trudeau will lead the Liberal party into next year’s elections.
Parliament is now shut for the holidays until late next month. The leftist New Democratic Party said Friday it would vote “no confidence” after lawmakers reconvene on Jan. 27.
When Trudeau returns from the holidays he could move to suspend Parliament for months while a party leadership race is held. Or he could delay an opposition day when a “no confidence vote” could be scheduled in Parliament.
Because Trudeau’s Liberals do not hold an outright majority in Parliament, they have for years depended on the support of the NDP to pass legislation and stay in power. But that support has vanished — NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made clear Friday the NDP will vote to bring down the government.
Trudeau, who has led the country for nearly a decade, has become widely unpopular in recent years over a wide range of issues, including the high cost of living and rising inflation.
There is no mechanism for Trudeau’s party to force him out in the short term. He could say he will step aside when a new party leader is chosen, or his Liberal party could be forced from power by a “no confidence” vote in Parliament that would trigger an election that would very likely favor the opposing Conservative Party.
The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and drugs in the United States — even though far fewer of each cross into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico.
Trudeau has not addressed his future or taken questions from the media since his finance minister resigned. But he has said his government is preparing for Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trudeau is scheduled to participate virtually in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations on Monday.
By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press
