Even before his inaugural, Trump has shaken Trudeau: What options does the Canadian PM have

President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated on January 20 at an event that several world leaders are expected to attend. While there are nearly 40 days remaining before the inauguration, Trump has already started to shake up the world order.

The first leader who faced the brunt was the unpopular Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The threat by Trump to slap 25 per cent tariffs dominated the news, and Trudeau has since been hammered as to how he plans on responding.

The big set back for Trudeau came when Canada’s finance minister Chrystia Freehand announced that she was stepping down from her post as she and Trudeau were at odds about the best path forward. “The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 per cent tariffs. We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” she said.

End game Trudeau?

Freeland’s resignation has sent shockwaves across Canada and has also piled up the miseries for a very unpopular Trudeau. For Trudeau, there cannot be a worse time than this.

While the election of Donald Trump was a massive setback for Trudeau, considering what the President-elect thinks of him, everything else has also been spiralling out of control for the Canadian Prime Minister.

There have been internal divisions in his party, and public support for him is plummeting. His own party colleagues have been demanding that he step down as leader of the Liberal Party ahead of the elections next year.

The fact that Trump has already managed to play havoc for Trudeau can be seen from the statement given by Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre. He said that Trump is a man who can spot a weakness from a mile away. We cannot accept this kind of chaos, weakness and division, and we are staring down a barrel of 25 per cent tariff by our biggest trading partner and closest ally, he said.

Most recent polls have shown Trudeau is facing a difficult time. He is desperate to win back the support of the people ahead of the elections, which must be held before late October 2025. A Leger survey conducted in November said that 42 per cent of Canadians planned to vote for the Conservatives in the next elections compared to the 26 per cent who backed the Liberals. 15 per cent backed the pro-Khalistan Jagmeet Singh-led NDP. Seven in ten Canadians said that they were dissatisfied with Trudeau and his government.

What is even more embarrassing for Trudeau is that Canadians view Donald Trump more favourably than Trudeau, according to the Abacus Data poll. This is also a clear indication that the people in Canada are turning right, and soon, there will be no room for the left-winger Trudeau. It may be recalled that Trump had once referred to Trudeau as a left-leaning lunatic. On other occasions, Trudeau has also been called as weak by Trump.

Trump trolls Trudeau

Following the resignation of the Canadian finance minister, Trump took a dig at Trudeau in a post on his Truth Social. In the post, he once again dubbed Trudeau as the Governor of Canada.

Trump wrote, “the Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau. Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!”

The first time Trump joked and called Trudeau as the Governor of Canada was when the two met at Mar-a-Lago. Trudeau called on Trump at the luxurious resort and told Trump that Canada would be completely down if he went ahead with the 25 per cent tariff. To this, Trump had joked and said that if Canada could not handle it, then it should become the 51 states of the United States, and Trudeau could be its governor.

What options does Trudeau have

Trudeau’s fate hangs by a thread. His government is already in a minority after the NDP pulled out. The government is surviving only because, for now, the NDP has been voting in its favour. Currently, Trudeau could either quit or hang on. Quitting would mean early elections, and the numbers are just not looking good for him.

Hanging on would mean Trudeau could try and make some amends before the elections are held. However, making amends and convincing the people seem unlikely scenarios.

Trudeau has been under pressure since the summer due to plummeting approval ratings. In October, he faced a small caucus revolt, with 24 MPs signing a letter calling for his resignation.

The Conservatives have tried for several months to trigger an election by tabling a series of no-confidence motions in the House of Commons. If the government loses this motion, then it is expected to resign, which would trigger an election. The government needs the backing of a majority of 338 members of Parliament in a no-confidence vote. The Liberals are 17 short of that.

In the past, efforts by the Conservatives have failed, as Trueau’s Liberal Party was bailed out by the NDP or Bloc Québécois. However, Trudeau, for now, can relax since the parliament will be adjourning for holidays on Tuesday. This means he will not face the trust vote until late January.

Another route that Trudeau can take to save his government is proroguing the parliament. This would essentially stop all proceedings, including debate and votes, without dissolving parliament. This is something that has been used by governments to buy sometime during a political crisis.

Trudeau had prorogued parliament in August 2020 when his government faced an ethics scandal over the handling of a contract with a charity. These tactics would only temporarily relieve Trudeau. The fact is that he will have to face the elections sooner or later and his fate would ultimately be decided by the voters.