Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau is facing one of the toughest challenges in his nine years in power so far. Early this month, Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew support to Trudeau’s minority government. Now, Trudeau is likely going to face a no confidence motion from the opposition soon. And, in order to survive Trudeau will have to seek new alliances.
In his nine years as the Prime Minister, the last two years have been particularly problematic for him. Rising prices, unemployment, and high real estate rentals have made the life of common people difficult. Many people think that it’s partly because of Trudeau’s policies or lack of them. However, the Canadian Prime Minister is pushing ahead with social programs – National School Food Program for school children, free contraceptives for women, dental care plan, and building new homes to tackle the current housing crisis.
In July 2023, he dropped seven ministers from his cabinet. Two of them resigned their parliament membership, necessitating by-polls. In the recently-held by-polls, Trudeau’s Liberal Party lost both, bringing more pressure on him to resign. The opposition party, media critics, and people who think Trudeau is best gone have been pressing for his resignation. Now, these calls are growing even in his party as Liberal members think Trudeau’s continuance may spoil their chances in the next general elections in October 2025.
However, Trudeau has not given any hint that he may resign. Accepting defeat in the two by-polls with his trademark grandeur, he said these defeats tell him that a lot more has to be done. And, how the opposition is making it harder for him to implement new reforms and policies! His message is he is going to continue so that he could deliver to the people on their expectations. All the while, he reminds what prospects lie ahead if he backs out. If Trudeau’s nine years have brought economic hardships, will a Conservative government be trusted to bring a turnaround.
The problems of price-rise, unemployment, housing shortages, etc. are the problems that every government across the globe faces. In most countries, the political leaders deflect the attention of the people to other issues artificially created. When the elections come, people have very few choices and it’s mostly choosing between two evils.
In the case of Trudeau, he has been a very responsive political leader. He is prompt to respond and react to even small incidents in the country. His articulation of the global problems and Canada’s stance on those issues has been phenomenal. Whether it’s the sufferings of the war-ravaged Ukraine or Palestine or his support for Ukraine’s rights to hit Russia where it hurts and bringing humanitarian assistance to Gaza victims, Trudeau has articulated the feelings of the common people around the globe that very few leaders in contemporary international politics have been able to match.
His only flaw is he makes his job look too easy. He smiles and stays motivated as traverses the complex domestic and international politics. His ability to keep smiling and talk sense even when the whole world seems to be collapsing on him is what keeps him in the job.
Indian media often treats Trudeau as another Rahul Gandhi who can be punched around for speaking up his mind. The message that gets out is intelligent people must stay silent so that fools don’t get offended. But Trudeau has shown acumen to not allow Canada to become one like that. A truly Trudeau-esque display of leadership!
And, at the end of the day, Trudeau seems to have found his weapons finally. He has announced a whopping 35% cut in the number of new immigrants from next year. This comes in addition to Canadian universities having been asked to cut down seats for international students. Beginning next year, Canada will see fewer students and ever fewer international workers. This can drastically change the political environment in Canada.
While more students, workers, and tourists bring economic prosperity, they also cause strain on available resources. Local people are never happy with immigrants who come with a greater degree of motivation and drive while also having split-loyalty. This creates a deep sense of dissatisfaction among the existing residents. Trudeau may benefit politically from this move. If he fires a few more shots from his weaponry, he may well be in a different orbit. (IPA Service)