Canada will Soon Have a New Leader

After nine years as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau is planning to step down after his Liberal Party chooses a new leader to replace him.  Trudeau announced his decision following weeks of speculation and weakening support from his own Liberal Party members.  Until now, Trudeau has maintained that he was the right man to lead the Liberals but said that he will not lead his Liberal Party in this year’s election.

“I intend to resign as Party leader and Prime Minister after the Party selects its next leader," Trudeau said last week.  "This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it’s become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”

Trudeau also announced he met with Governor General Mary Simon, and she agreed to suspend federal Parliament until March 24th.  With that suspension, the active business session of Parliament is now effectively canceled until spring.

“Despite best efforts to work through it, Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority Parliament in Canadian history," Trudeau continued.  "That’s why, this morning, I advised the Governor General that we need a new session of Parliament. She has granted this request, and the House will now be prorogued until March 24th.”

Trudeau's decision to leave will set off a competitive leadership race to replace him and find a new leader for the Party against its main rival, the Conservative Party, in this year’s federal election. That election must be held before October of this year, but with Trudeau’s resignation announcement, there is a good chance the election could happen much sooner.

Several top cabinet ministers for that Party’s leadership role include Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Also, former Bank of Canada and former Bank of England governor Mark Carney made his pitch for Liberal Party leadership. He worked in several federal government posts in his early career, but Carney has not previously run for political office.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded to the news of Trudeau’s resignation, suggesting that Trudeau is leaving because he knows the United States will not put up with Canada’s trade deficits. Trump also repeated his line that Canadians should become the 51st state.  The Prime Minister’s office has not responded to Trump’s latest jab about a Canada-U.S. merger, but in Toronto, Doug Ford made Trump a counteroffer.

“You know something? To the President, I’ll make him a counter-offer. How about if we buy Alaska? Throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time," Ford joked.  "I know he likes making these comments, and he likes joking around. He may be joking, but that will never, ever happen.”

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