The federal Liberals are in complete disarray after the shock resignation of finance minster and deputy leader Chrystia Freeland this morning.
This evening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a caucus meeting in Ottawa where 15 MPs spoke up and many of them advised him to resign.
He said he would consider their concerns and reflect on them in the next few days.
Freeland quit before the economic statement |
Freeland announced she was quitting this morning in a public letter to Trudeau that she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
At that time reporters were about to go into a lock-up to read over her much anticipated economic statement when they found out she had resigned.
No one in the party knew who was the next finance minister and for hours radio and TV shows were scrambling to find any information they could about this political bombshell that exploded in Trudeau's face.
He did this to himself -- according to Freeland's letter, Trudeau had told her she would be shuffled out of the finance minister position, but could you present the economic statement anyway?
She also claimed that she disagreed with his "political gimmicks", such as scrapping the GST for two months on certain items, and C$250 rebate cheques for specific income groups.
Trudeau in the closed caucus meeting tonight |
Nevertheless, Freeland has still left the door open to jump into a leadership race because she is still sitting as an MP.
Political pundits think that while Freeland is trying to distance herself from Trudeau, she has been in his cabinet for so long that she will still have to take the blame for what happened, and she doesn't have much integrity left.
Some felt she didn't communicate policies well, while others thought she was very hard working and personable.
Regardless, the main question now is when Trudeau is going to step down and let the Liberal Party choose its next leader. He thinks he performs better when his back is against the wall, but voters are tired of having a prime minister who is out of touch with people and want someone else to take the reins.
However, the alternatives aren't that appealing either, though the Conservatives under Pierre Poilieve are poised to win the next election which could be called soon.
Already President-elect Donald Trump has weighed in on today's flurry of events.
On his social media platform he 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!!!"
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