Justin Trudeau latest: Trump says ‘many in Canada love being 51st State’ after PM announces resignation – UK Times

After nearly 10 years at the country’s helm, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resigned as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

Trudeau’s latest crisis has been sparked by the sudden resignation of his finance minister Chrystia Freeland, amid a dispute over how best to handle U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened trade tariffs. At a press conference on Monday, Trudeau cited “internal battles” within the Liberal Party that meant he “cannot be the best option” in the next election.

Once the poster-boy for liberal politics, his popularity has waned and his approval rating has dipped below 30 percent several times this year. So what went wrong?

Rachel Clun and Rhian Lubin have the details.

In the wake of Justin Trudeau, the incumbent Canadian prime minister, stepping down on Monday, the (unofficial) race to replace him is underway. Here are the potential front-runners:

Anita Anand: 57-year-old was minister of procurement during the Covid-19 pandemic before becoming defense minister in 2021. In 2023, she became president of the Treasury Board.

Mark Carney: 59-year-old former central banker for Canada and the UK who is now affiliated with Liberal-aligned think tank Canada 2020.

François-Philippe Champagne: 54-year-old current minister for innovation who has held a suite of cabinet jobs: from international trade to foreign affairs. One of Trudeau’s officials tasked with handling contentious relations with the US ahead of the 2024 election.

Christy Clark: 59-year-old former Liberal premier-turned-senior law firm advisor. Openly called for Trudeau’s resignation after the Toronto–St. Paul’s byelection loss in June.

Sean Fraser: 40-year-old lawyer quit Trudeau’s cabinet as housing minister in December. Though he said he would not run in the next federal election, he shouldn’t be ruled out.

Chrystia Freeland: 56-year-old long-trusted senior official under Trudeau also resigned in December. Handled the North American Free Trade Agreement during Donald Trump’s first term between 2016-2018.

Mélanie Joly: 45-year-old has been foreign affairs minister since 2021 and is leading the Canadian response to the Russia-Ukraine war and conflict in the Middle East.

Dominic LeBlanc: 57-year-old minister of Intergovernmental Affairs who was fixer-in-chief under Trudeau during the Covid-19 pandemic and healthcare negotiations.

In the wake of Donald Trump again musing Canada will become the 51st US state, his eldest son, Don Jr, is set to visit Greenland Tuesday, as his father triggers local anger by renewing his push to make the Danish territory part of the U.S.

The president-elect announced on his social network Truth Social on Monday that Don Jr and “various representatives” would soon be touring the island’s “magnificent areas and sights.”

The soon-to-be president added: “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Io Dodds has the details.

Justin Trudeau was once heralded as a fresh face of liberalism, offering a message of hope and prosperity to revive a party which had collapsed in support when he took over. During his nine years in office, he won three general elections, with his share of the vote slipping each cycle.

2015: Justin Trudeau had collapsed to 34 seats with 19 percent of the vote in the 2011 election. Returning four years later with an image of positivity and competence to the Liberals, they stormed to a majority win with 184 seats and a 39.5 percent vote share.

2019: The Liberals lost their parliamentary majority in 2019, after a vote swing of -6.4 percent saw them lose 20 seats. They nonetheless went on to form a single-party minority government, setting a record at the time for the lowest ever vote share required to do so. The Conservatives won the popular vote; Trudeau’s party won 36 more seats.

2021: For the second election running, the Liberals narrowly lost the popular vote but were able to form a government. Trudeau had hoped the positivity around his government’s response to the Covid pandemic would translate into a rallying majority. Although this did not happen, the Liberals marginally increased their seat share.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau resigned as leader of the Liberal Party on Monday, after facing immense pressure to step down from members of his own party since his deputy prime minister resigned over concerns about Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Facing low approval ratings in part due to the cost of living crisis, signs were mounting that Canadians had lost faith in the Liberal Party, which Trudeau has led as prime minister since 2015.

But internal confidence plummeted in mid-December, when Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and head of finance, unexpectedly resigned citing disagreements over the handling of Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariffs on the country – an issue that could damage the economy.

Ariana Baio disects Trudeau’s resignation.

Justin Trudeau bashed Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Canadian Conservatives, arguing that his vision is “not the right one for Canadians.”

The outgoing prime minister said it doesn’t “make sense” to stop fighting climate change.

“We need an ambitious, optimistic view of the future,” he said.

“Pierre Poilievre is not offering that,” he added.

At a press conference on Monday, Trudeau cited “internal battles” within the Liberal Party that meant he “cannot be the best option” in the next election.

Speaking outside his residence at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau said he had taken time over the holidays to “reflect” with his family. “Throughout the course of my career, any success I have personally achieved has been because of their support and with their encouragement,” Trudeau said.