A number of MAGA and Republican figures have celebrated reports that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to resign in the coming days.
Newsweek has contacted Trudeau's office for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Trudeau's resignation will likely put Canada into political turmoil just days before President-elect Donald Trump returns as U.S. president on January 20.
Trump has recently taken some jabs at the prime minister, including suggesting that Canada could become the 51st state of the U.S. if it does not want to pay the proposed 25 percent tariffs suggested by the president-elect.
What to Know
Trudeau is set to announce he is stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party sometime this week, although no final decision has been made, Reuters and Canada's Globe and Mail reported Sunday, citing unnamed sources.
It is not known precisely when the Canadian prime minister could step down, but a resignation is expected before an emergency meeting of legislators of Canada's ruling Liberal Party on Wednesday, the Globe and Mail reported.
Trudeau has been under pressure as polls suggest the Liberal Party will suffer a heavy defeat to the Conservative opposition at the next Canadian elections. No election date has been called, but it must be held by October 2025 at the latest.
Canadians have been hit with rising inflation and living costs, as well as escalating housing prices, leading to dissatisfaction with the ruling party. Canadian pollster Angus Reid showed, as of December 24, that 22 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau's job as prime minister.
In December, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post after she criticized Trudeau for his handling of Trump's threat of 25 percent tariffs. Trudeau allegedly pleaded with the president-elect not to implement the new levy during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago in November. Freeland reacted by cautioning against "expensive political stunts."
The U.S. is Canada's biggest trading partner by a distance, accounting for approximately 75 percent of Canada's exports. The countries currently trade under a largely duty-free deal, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which was signed into law by Trump and took effect in 2020.
What People Are Saying
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and conservative political activist, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Make Canada Great Again."
Popular pro-Trump social media user Gunther Eagleman posted on X: "Just Trudeau is set to RESIGN this week ahead of caucus meetings! Trump won the election and set off a cascade! This is HUGE!"
Conservative-leaning The Libs of TikTok social media account posted on X: "Apparently Trudeau is expected to resign. Trump trolled him for weeks and now this news comes [cry laughing emoji]."
Former Canada Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's December 16 resignation letter to Trudeau: "For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada. Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 percent tariffs. We need to take that threat extremely seriously."
What Happens Next
If Trudeau resigns, he could immediately leave office or stay on until a new Liberal leader is elected.
Any new Canadian leader will have to negotiate with Trump after he threatened to impose the 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico unless the countries reduce migrants and drugs coming into the U.S.
According to Trudeau's online schedule, the Canadian prime minister is to hold a virtual meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations on Monday.
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