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“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has been thrown into fresh disarray with the abrupt departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland… In her scathing resignation letter - published on the day she was due to deliver an economic statement - Freeland cited disagreements with her long-time ally on how to respond to the threat of tariffs from Donald Trump… Trump has vowed to impose a levy of 25% on imported Canadian goods unless the shared border is made more secure.” BBC
Both sides are skeptical that Trudeau will be able to remain in power:
“Before the Freeland debacle, Trudeau had two problems: The public was unhappy with him and his party’s policies, and many in his party were unhappy with his management. Trudeau has been the leader of Canada for nearly 10 years now, and of his Liberal Party for nearly 12. That’s quite a long time to be in power in the Canadian context. In that time, Trudeau’s popularity has taken a beating; although he started out with a 63 percent approval rating, that has dropped to 28 percent in recent polls…
“The country is struggling with cost-of-living and housing crises, and debate over the wisdom of the Liberal Party’s immigration and environmental strategies has escalated ahead of the 2025 elections… Freeland’s resignation only renewed and intensified calls for Trudeau to resign.”
Ellen Ioanes, Vox
“Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals are trailing the opposition Conservatives by 20 or so points in most opinion polls. The Conservatives are led by Pierre Poilievre, who unlike recent Tory leaders wants to offer a genuine policy contrast with Mr. Trudeau’s spendthrift fiscal policy, his cultural leftism, and Liberal hostility to fossil fuels. Ms. Freeland and other Liberals can read the polls and apparently want to cast off Mr. Trudeau before he takes them all down…
“But they’ve all been aboard the cruise, and Mr. Trudeau’s failures aren’t merely personal. He’s presided over runaway deficits and a plunge in the Canadian dollar to a mere 70 cents on the U.S. greenback. And he’s done this while not coming close to meeting Canada’s defense-spending obligations to NATO. Canada’s voters are telling pollsters they want a change, and with Mr. Trump about to take power in Washington, they are going to need one.”
Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
Other opinions below.
“Canada is America’s biggest trading partner, and while 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports would hurt their economy, retaliatory tariffs wouldn’t be good for the U.S. economy, either. Trudeau pointed out that the U.S. gets 65 percent of its crude oil from Canada, along with many other goods, ranging from steel to agricultural products. Over the weekend, Trump tried to defend his tariff plan on NBC’s Meet the Press but couldn’t promise that it wouldn’t cause higher prices for Americans.”
Hafiz Rashid, New Republic
“It is not clear what Trump means by the US giving other nations hundreds of billions of dollars. He could be referring to trade deficits, which he often seems to regard as evidence that another nation is taking advantage of the US — but often reflect the zeal of the American consumer to buy goods, wherever they are from, in a healthy measure of US economic prosperity…
“[Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs] represents an extraordinarily hardline approach to a nation that has deep diplomatic, cultural and familial ties to the United States, is one half of one of the world’s most lucrative trading relationships and that sent its troops to die in defense of its ally after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.”
Stephen Collinson, CNN
“In an apparent effort to boost his ratings, [Trudeau] proposed a holiday from sales taxes and modest checks to lower-income taxpayers, measures that ran directly contrary to Freeland’s pledge to keep the deficit down. Then he made things worse by calling her on Friday and asking her to step down as finance minister to make room for a buddy of his — but only after she presented the economic statement. And he wanted her to continue working on the Trump transition…
“Freeland fumed [in her resignation letter] that this was not the time for ‘costly political gimmicks,’ when Canada needed all its reserves for a possible tariff war. Canadians, she declared, ‘know when we are working for them, and they equally know when we are focused on ourselves.’”
Serge Schmemann, New York Times
“The latest episode seems to repeat an old pattern familiar from the SNC Lavalin scandal, in which Trudeau bullied and expelled his own female (and indigenous) attorney general from his cabinet for resisting pressure to cut a deal for a politically connected corporation facing corruption charges…
“The party of Justin Trudeau has mutated into something resembling a cult of personality. Its partisans spew such deranged vitriol online that CNN host Jake Tapper coined the term Tru-Anon to describe them. They cannot abide even the mildest criticism of Trudeau, whether it’s his elbowing a female opposition MP in the breast, groping a female reporter, or wearing blackface…
“Meantime, the world is aware of Trudeau’s vicious attack on the truckers who converged on Ottawa in early 2022 to protest Covid restrictions. At Trudeau’s behest, Freeland invoked the draconian Emergencies Act to freeze bank accounts… The longer Trudeau remains in power, the more unstable America’s largest trading partner and closest ally will become.”
Michael Bonner, City Journal
“Throughout his first term, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO allies for failing to meet the alliance’s benchmark of spending 2% of GDP on defense, and Canada was often singled out as one of the worst offenders. Despite Trudeau’s rhetoric about supporting multilateralism and NATO solidarity, Canada’s defense spending remains well below the target, hovering at just 1.4%…
“Freeland’s departure raises further concerns about who will manage this critical aspect of Canada-U.S. relations. Her ability to balance Trump’s unpredictability with Canada’s strategic priorities was a key asset during the NAFTA renegotiation. Without her, Ottawa risks struggling to present a credible case to Washington, particularly if domestic instability undermines the government’s ability to commit to significant defense investments… If Trudeau cannot rally his party, a leadership transition may be necessary to project competence and unity.”
Andrew Latham, Responsible Statecraft
Dad goes viral after building DIY Polar Express train for daughter.
Good Morning America
