Rumours were already swirling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would lose one minister come Monday morning, but the situation escalated quickly.
As Housing Minister Sean Fraser was making official on Dec. 16 his departure from cabinet, Chrystia Freeland published the official resignation letter she sent to Trudeau. Some Liberal MPs also started chiming in, asking for the prime minister to step down, including some who had not been vocal until now.
Freeland resigned from the two top posts in government after the prime minister: deputy prime minister and finance minister. She did so a few hours before she was supposed to deliver the Fall Economic Statement, Ottawa’s mini-budget providing an update on the country’s finances.
Whereas Fraser didn’t criticize Trudeau despite not seeking re-election, Freeland pulled no punches.
“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland wrote to Trudeau.
Freeland added Canada is facing a “grave challenge” from the incoming U.S. administration which has threatened to impose a 25 tariff if security at the border is not bolstered.
Freeland said the threat must be taken “extremely seriously” and Canada’s “fiscal powder” must be kept dry in order to have reserves if a trade war erupts.
“That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment,” she wrote, in an apparent reference to her government’s latest relief measures.
Ottawa’s two-month GST holiday was passed by Parliament with support from the NDP. Jagmeet Singh’s party, however, rejected sending a $250 cheque to every Canadian worker who makes under $150,000 annually, saying seniors and people with disabilities would be excluded.
Freeland said Trudeau asked her on Dec. 13 to be shuffled out of finance, which she said showed a lack of confidence in her. Unlike Fraser, Freeland said she would run again in the next election.
Calls for Resignation
Trudeau had weathered resignation calls from a small group of MPs in October. Some have now added their voices, including those who were supportive at the time.Ontario Liberal MP Francis Drouin said back in October the caucus was “100 percent” behind Trudeau. On Dec. 16, he reversed that position, telling CBC News the prime minister “needs to go,” and that he doesn’t see how the Liberal Party can “move forward” under Trudeau after Freeland’s resignation.
Two other MPs who had so far not been outspoken have called Trudeau to step down.
Montreal-area Liberal MP Anthony Housefather told CTV News on Dec. 16 that he had told Trudeau to resign “a couple months ago.” His colleague Helena Jaczek, a former cabinet minister, also told the network she wants Trudeau to resign.
Vancouver-area Liberal MP Patrick Weiler said it is “clear that the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of members of caucus and increasingly much of the country.”
Those calls for Trudeau to resign also echoed in the House of Commons, including from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Singh, however, has not committed to voting non-confidence in the government. The minority Liberals need the support from one opposition party to remain in power.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois repeated their calls for an early election.
