OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau is ending his 11-year leadership role, nine years
as Canada’s Prime Minister, that was marred by his confrontation with India and
deference to Khalistanis.
He announced on Monday that he will step down as Prime
Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party, but will continue in office till
a new leader is elected.
Speaking outside his official residence here he said,
"I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party
selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process”.
He said that the House of Commons will be prorogued till
March 24, which means it will be dormant and the opposition cannot force a vote
of no-confidence against him.
Egged on by his one-time ally Jagmeet Singh, leader of
the opposition, New Democratic Party, he accused India of orchestrating a
deadly campaign against Khalistanis.
Some in his government made personal allegations against
some Indian leaders without presenting proof, linking India to the killing of
Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
But that was not enough to mollify Singh, on whose
support his minority government relied on to stay in power.
Singh joined the chorus for Trudeau’s resignation, as his
poll ratings cratered and his party and the government plunged into chaos with
the ouster of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
That, in turn, led to Liberal Party MPs calling for
Trudeau’s resignation.
The Trudeau government's campaign against India did
nothing to salvage his reputation.
A visit to India by Trudeau to India exposed his
government's entanglement with Khalistanis.
Trudeau’s penchant for showmanship backfired during the
trip when he and his family dressed in Bollywood glam, and it was overshadowed
by an invitation sent for a reception he was hosting to Jaspal Atwal, a
Khalistani convicted of involvement in an assassination plot against the
then-Punjab Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu.
The Liberal Party has only 153 seats in the 338-member,
far short of the 170 needed for a majority.
Trudeau’s government was on life support after the New
Democratic Party broke an agreement in September to support him without joining
the government.
Any leader succeeding him will have to get the support of
the minority parties.
If this is not possible, an early election before the
October deadline could become inevitable giving an edge to the opposition
Conservative Party.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Marcel Poilievre is
waiting in the wings and if he becomes Prime Minister a reset of Canada’s
policies can be expected.
Polilievre has blamed Trudeau for ruining relations with
India by being “unprofessional”.
He said in an interview with Toronto's Namaste Radio last
year, that Trudeau "is so incompetent and unprofessional that now we are
in major disputes with almost every major power in the world and that includes
India”.
Trudeau has become “a laughingstock in India -- the
world's biggest democracy”. Polilievre said.
Trudeau said he asked Liberal Party President Sachit
Mehra to immediately begin the process for electing a new leader.
Trudeau, however, declared that his quest for power was
not over, even though he had become unpopular and his party was facing defeat
in an election.
"I'm a fighter. Every bone in my body has always
told me to fight because I care deeply about Canadians. I care deeply about
this country, and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interest of
Canadians,” he said.
The son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin
became PM in 2015, after two years as party leader.
His prime ministership was rocked after he pushed out
Freeland, who held the finance portfolio, last month.
In her resignation letter, Freeland, who was popular,
said, “I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada”.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened tariffs
against Canada, added to Trudeau’s woes.
Trump accused Trudeau’s government of allowing illegal
migrants to cross over the US, endangering it.
According to a Canadian Customs and Border Protection
Service report, 358 people on terror watch lists were caught trying to enter
the US from Canada in the fiscal year 2024, an indication of Trudeau’s lax
policies towards terrorism.
After Trudeau visited him in Mar-a-Lago, Trump ridiculed
him as the “Governor of the 51st State” because of his pleas for concessions.
Trudeau came to power with flamboyance and moralising,
capitalising on his heredity.
But the charm wore off as Canadians were hammered by high
prices and general angst over crime and quality of life.
Last month, the poll tracker from the Angus Reid
Institute showed his approval rating at an abysmal 22 per cent last month.
