Canada’s finance minister resigns as Prime Minister Trudeau faces Trump’s new position | Political Affairs

Canada’s finance minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned in a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is facing declining approval ratings and opposition from his own party, as well as the possibility of a trade war with the United States.

In his resignation letter, written to X on Monday, Freeland revealed that Trudeau informed him last week that he no longer wanted to participate and would offer him another cabinet position.

“On reflection, I have come to the conclusion that the only honest and effective course of action is to resign from the cabinet,” Freeland wrote.

“For the past few weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds over the best route to Canada,” he continued.

Trudeau did not immediately respond to this resignation, which comes a few days after he met with Canadian provincial leaders to outline his plans to respond to the threat of a trade war with US President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20.

Trump has vowed to impose a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico if the neighboring countries do not stop what he calls an “onslaught” of undocumented immigrants and drugs.

The Trudeau government is reportedly advancing plans to invest in border security and surveillance, but has faced growing pressure to take a hard line on Trump.

The government was to present details of the border plan to the Canadian Parliament on Monday, in an economic update to be delivered by Freeland.

A former journalist, Freeland has also served as deputy prime minister since 2019. In his resignation letter, he said that he does not agree with the way the government is making policy towards its neighbor to the south.

“Our country today is facing a huge challenge,” he said, describing Trump’s threat as “aggressive economic nationalism”.

“We have to take that threat seriously,” he continued.

“That means keeping our powder dry today, so we have the funds we may need in the coming tax fight. That means avoiding expensive political tactics, which we can’t afford and which make Canadians doubt that we see the current crisis. “

In another incident for Trudeau, Housing Minister Sean Fraser also announced on Monday that he will not be re-elected.

The next election

These updates come as Trudeau’s Liberal Party prepares for elections in October next year. Trudeau said he plans to remain in the leadership of the party.

Because the Liberals do not have a clear majority, if the coalition New Democratic Party were to withdraw, this could trigger a new election at any time.

Meanwhile, Trump’s victory has fueled domestic concerns that Canada could be subject to global anti-graft practices that could see the Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, take power for the first time since 2015.

After nearly a decade in power, Trudeau in September saw his approval rating drop to just 33 percent.

He has continued to be criticized for high consumer and housing costs, the legacy of his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently, the Trump administration.

The US president-elect and his allies have done much to color public opinion with their derision of Trudeau. Recently, Trump called the prime minister the “governor” of a “great state”.

That came shortly after Trudeau, who visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, US last month in an effort to mend relations, said Canada would “respond to the unfair charges in many ways”.

Trudeau’s government previously issued retaliatory tariffs after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum during his first term.

Taxes were eventually raised by both countries.