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November 22, 2023 - 7:00am
Justin Trudeau is in trouble. Canada’s Prime Minister, currently in his ninth year in power, can’t seem to do anything right lately. The Bank of Canada has blamed persistently high inflation on the Liberals’ fiscal policy, and the cost-of-living crisis across the country has Canadians turning to food banks at an all-time-record high.
Then there’s the hugely unpopular carbon tax — one of Trudeau’s campaign promises — on home heating oil which was set to go into effect this autumn, but because of nationwide backlash has been put on hold temporarily. The province of Alberta wants out of the Canada Pension Plan, saying it’s entitled to an eye-watering $334 billion, more than half the total amount in the federal fund. And under Trudeau’s watch, Canada’s reputation in foreign affairs has taken quite a beating, with India and China — two of the largest economies in the world — pulling back on their diplomatic relations in recent years.
It’s no wonder that Trudeau has seen his popularity tanking in opinion polls, with more than half of all Canadians saying they think he should step down as leader of the Liberal Party. That may well be the only way forward if the Liberals want to have a fighting chance of winning re-election — their fourth since coming to power in 2015 — when federal votes are next held in 2025. But seeing how quickly Trudeau’s approval ratings are taking a nose-dive, the New Democratic Party is starting to rethink its support for the Liberals, which has kept Trudeau’s minority government afloat since the last election.
The problem is, even if Trudeau were to step down — something he has made clear he has no intention of doing — there’s no real successor from within his caucus who could take his place. In the 10 years since Trudeau won the top spot, the Liberal Party has built its entire brand around his leadership. Trudeau is the party, and the hold he has over those who support him cannot be overstated. He brought the embattled Liberals back from the brink of oblivion when they swept the election in 2015. Having resurrected the party after a catastrophic defeat, many in the Liberal Party today owe their jobs to Trudeau.
Knowing the odds are stacked against him, why is the Canadian Prime Minister not taking the pragmatic approach and letting a new leader rally support for the party before the next election? To say he’s had a rough year is an understatement. Aside from policy failures and an affordability crisis, the Trudeau brand has also taken some personal hits, specifically his separation from his wife of 18 years, irreparably damaging his image as a “family man”. It would be too much for Trudeau’s ego to take if Canada’s Dreamy Boyfriend were forced to break up with his last remaining love, throwing him into an existential tailspin.
Whatever happens — whether Trudeau steps down or lives to die another day — one thing is becoming increasingly clear: 2024 has a high probability of being an election year, with Canadians likely to vote in a new prime minister.
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SubscribeThe man is an ass. Bottom line.
The opinion of people who worship Donald Trump is not particularly relevant here
We can all see what isn’t relevant here.
I know. I just told you.
Canada’s Prime Minister can’t seem to do anything right lately
What do you mean, “lately”?
Which part of it don’t you understand, hon?
Right wing hippie v champagne socialist. You have got to be kidding me.
In any case, the hippie has it right and the socialist is, charitably, being literal-minded. The thoroughly modern mediocrity “Socks” Trudeau has been wrong-footed ab initio.
Guess you missed those three consecutive election victories, sport?
Wouldn’t you wish that Trump could be so wrong or the multitude of Tory PMs in the UK that JT has seen come and go during his lengthy and highly successful tenure!
How about listing these “successes” for scrutiny/comment (whoever you are).
Ah, so it turns out you’re a Canadian. That explains it.
I can’t think of one achievement during his 10 years in office. Literally, his biggest accomplishment was legalizing weed, which he did about 10 minutes after he entered office.
His support has always been tepid. He won the last two elections with about 32% of the national vote, both historic lows and both less than Conservatives. The NDP and leader Jagmeet Singh have proven to be very useful idiots, by propping up the minority govts and never wavering in support for the Liberals.
I can, Jim; he wore those lovely shamrock-themed socks on his visit to Dublin. What’s not to like ?
He is passing new MAID legislation to let depressed teenagers kill themselves – so there’s that too.
Here’s a serious question for Canadian Unherd readers: how have Trudeau, his party, and their policies remained in power for a decade? What is the political calculus that has kept him and his form of extremism in power for so long? I realize asking a question in the forums is inviting snark, but I’d genuinely like to know the answer.
Anyone who thinks Trudeau is an extremist is so far to the right as to be out of sight.
Maybe people the way he stood up to Trump? And far outlasted him too, of course!
The last election was won because the majority of voting Canadians loved how he hated the unvaccinated and the previous elections were won because he is easy on the eye with good hair.
His first election win really was a vote against PM Harper who stayed on too long. He is charismatic for some people – particularly middle aged women. Like most of the western world’s progressives – he wins in the big cities – and loses in rural areas. At one point they didn’t have one seat west of Ontario until you hit Vancouver BC. His attacks on the Western provincial economies have seriously weakened confederation. Alberta is taking steps to leave the Canadian pension plan, get rid of the RCMP (federal police force) passed legislation to nullify Trudeau’s gun grab, etc. Saskatchewan has simply said it won’t collect the federal carbon tax after Jan 1st – which will create a constitutional crisis. It is hard to explain how deeply loathed he is by many many people. Like his father he will have a long and deeply damaging impact on the country.
As I said elsewhere, if the best you’ve got is the talking points if a bunch of nutters from Alberta then you’ve already lost the argument.
The hatred that you feel is all about you, sonny, and nothing to do with Trudeau. You should consider getting some kind of counselling.
The Liberals had a lower vote total than the Conservatives in the last two elections. Plenty of people outside the west don’t like him.
“His first election win”
How about his second and third win?
Hey Cava Communist! Would you by chance be an iteration of what former Calgary mayor, leader of the Alberta Conservatives and Premier of that province, the late Ralph Klein, called ‘Eastern creeps and bums’?
Askin’ for a friend … hon. x
Ralph Klein, renowned alcoholic?
As I say, you might want to find better examples than the regular Alberta nutbars!
As an actually sound-minded middle aged woman, I apologize profusely for my demographic.
I thought his father was Fidel Castro. He certainly doesn’t bear much resemblance to Pierre Trudeau.
I remember Trudeau’s father. Senior did have a certain sense of style that Junior can’t seem to manage.
Yes it doesn’t reflect well on the electorate (from our pov). Canada always was something of a ‘moral superpower’, like Sweden. In the modern wokey, virtue-signalling, feelings first western world that hubris can easily cause disaster.
It’s a genuine mystery to me why people vote to make things patently worse, like the last mayoral election in Toronto was won by a huge(!) margin by a candidate who basically promised to continue making Toronto unliveable( junkies, crazies, encampments, homeless, garbage etc). But here you go, the young professionals, the only ones able to live in downtown, unanimously voted her in. Go figure out.
There are several reasons.
He was offered up by the Liberals as a happy face replacement for the quieter Harper (he came off as cool and aloof). He was the right person at the right time for a country that was ready to embrace progressive ideals. The leftie media (especially the taxpayer-funded CBC) has and continues to gloss over his government’s failures.
The Trudeau Liberals are big believers in the WEF “Great Reset” and they’ve pursued that ideology by pushing climate hysteria and Canada’s supposed systemic injustice. The public sector has been expanded exponentially. The activists are at the trough. If you had an idea for a meaningless but progressive sounding plan to mitigate some sort of “injustice” the Liberals would finance it. Liberal largesse represents a meal ticket for a lot of people in the public sector, education and the media. All key areas of support for any government. And of course, the current support arrangement with the NDP which is nothing but a coalition that they forgot to mention before the last election, has prolonged the agony.
From the other side, the Conservatives were unable to get a leader with the savvy that Harper had to negotiate the Leftist media. They could never focus on Trudeau’s failures because they ended up defending themselves from hysterical straw man accusations that they were going to ban abortion or bring Trumpism to Canada (as if that was even possible).
The Covid spending hangover has hit the Liberals. Debt is out of control and they’re finding it harder to buy friends. It would also seem that younger voters that can’t afford housing or groceries are finally joining the dots and making the connection that Liberal fiscal stupidity is the reason. Huge green subsidies and climate taxes aren’t working. Unemployment rates are up. Hospital wait times are up. Immigration rates are up. The math doesn’t work.
Poilievre, the Conservative leader, seems to say the right things about getting spending under control. Trudeau’s personal rankings are dropping like a stone. Fingers crossed we’re close to the end of this nightmare.
Entirely accurate comment.
Thanks for that informative reply.
The liberals are very organized and have strong support in the country’s biggest cities. They won the last two elections with about 32% of the vote, the lowest totals in the history of Canada. The Conservatives beat them in overall vote the last two elections. The two minority govts have been propped up by the NDP, which has basically asked for nothing for this support.
Like Cleggmania, just drenched in saccharine sweet Maple Syrup (over a gluten free waffle)
Limpets. There are some politicians who have the ability to hang on and ride out pressures to remove them. This has little to do with ability (although some political ability is required).
I’m thinking Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Theresa May in the UK, Barak Obama in the USA (Biden as Obama’s third term) and now Justin Trudeau in Canada. I’m sure others spring to mind.
But in the end they are peeled away. Has Trudeau lost his grip? I rather think so, but limpets are tough.
Why the downvote????
“Biden as Obama’s third term”? I seem to recall that there was another fellow who was President between Obama and Biden.
Hasn’t his popularity taken a nosedive for ever and ever, according un several articles on unHerd and similar outlets? Yet he is still there and he managed to win an election not long ago.
Who to believe, then?
Canadians deserve him.
Reports of Trudeau’s political demise have been widely reported before with all of the accuracy one has come to expect from conservative media.
This fluff piece will no doubt incite today’s 2 minutes hate against Trudeau but if you are relying on what a bunch of crackpots in Alberta think for your talking points then you’ve already lost.
And once Canadians get to know Polievre better you can bet that Trudeau will start to look pretty good again! I’m not sure they are looking for Dweeb Trump to replace Prince Charming….
I dunno, Prosecco Progressive, my family in BC can’t stand Zippy the Wonder Sock either. x
Losing multiple consecutive elections must have been tough on them. And an NDP government in BC too!
Maybe they should move to Alberta where they will feel more at home?
You seem to have a bit of a crush on the guy. ‘Prince Charming’, eh? He’s always seemed a bit creepy to me.
I always thought he had a touch of the “Bill Clintons” about him: women (particularly middle aged women) loved him, men found him creepy.