Our crippled prime minister should have had the dignity to call an election soon
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Justin Trudeau has left Canadians reeling after a decade of incompetence. His decision to leave puts the country in the current crisis because Parliament will not sit and elections will not take place for five or six months. This means that Canadians now have to endure the spectacle of Trudeau’s misdemeanors – from Chrystia Freeland to Mark Carney, Anita Anand, Dominic LeBlanc and others – jockeying for power. This is not only unbecoming behavior of a prime minister or general or CEO, but a dangerous strategy by a self-centered “leader”. Who pulls such a stunt?
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Trudeau and his party put themselves before the national interest. President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to impose a dangerous 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods, and negotiations must be held as soon as possible to avoid economic damage. That’s why it’s totally unacceptable for the Liberals to say they can’t get their act together to elect a replacement for months and then hold an election. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre put it best when he said: “Canadians – 41 million people – are not forced to wait while the Liberal party fixes it.”
Trudeau is already a lame-duck prime minister, according to polls, and he should have had the dignity and sense of impartiality to call a snap election. Instead, he introduced Parliament and will remain in office while his party tries to organize itself. So much for his press conference claim that, “Since 2015, I have been fighting for this country … I will always be motivated by what is in the best interests of Canadians.”
His exit adds to the damage already done during his almost 10 years in power. Lest we forget, Trudeau and his NDP sidekick, Jagmeet Singh, continued their reckless spending and tax hike; it opened the floodgates of immigration without proper vetting that made housing unaffordable and health care unaffordable in Vancouver and Toronto; neglected resource and military development; and leave behind a bloated federal bureaucracy. Even Singh said, “The Liberals don’t deserve another chance.”
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Obviously, state premiers should take the reins in this trade and political chaos. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are capable and popular leaders of two of the country’s most important economic regions. They appeared on American television to make a case against Trump’s tariffs, on the basis that they would hurt American consumers and industries like Canada.
Prime Minister Smith said he is very concerned because Trump seems determined to impose tariffs. “So we have a crippled leader, who has no immediate plans to leave, except for a decision on who will be the negotiating partner until, I think, it was proposed at the end of May. Therefore, I believe it is up to me, the other prime ministers, to blame the American people ourselves without the leadership.”
After Trudeau’s resignation, Prime Minister Ford said: “Canada needs to show stability and strength at this critical time, and the federal government must quickly explain to Canadians how they will avoid taxes that could have a negative impact on our economy.”
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Prime ministers must be at the table in any negotiations with American trade representatives. Trudeau is being trampled by Trump, and his supporters are now calling for his ouster and that Canada should join the US.
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To avoid tariffs, Canada needs to negotiate with Trump
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If Trump is moving across Canada, it’s because Trudeau has weakened him
Trudeau’s sudden exit sets the country back. As Canada enters 2025, Justin Trudeau has been prime minister for nearly 10 years, but he is inactive and will not be replaced for months. This is irresponsible.
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