In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office. On Dec. 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau's cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. In her resignation letter, she claimed that the only "honest and viable path" was to leave the Cabinet. "For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," Freeland, who was previously seen as a Trudeau loyalist, wrote.
"Our country is facing a grave challenge," the letter added. "That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war." Later in December, one of Trudeau's key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence on Jan. 27.
"No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," Singh said. Trudeau's personal choices have also invited backlash from his opponents. At the end of November, Trudeau faced international criticism after he was seen dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto while a destructive riot took place in his home city of Montreal. Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X. "Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances," the Canadian politician wrote.
"This is the Canada built by the Liberal government."
"Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved," Stewart added. Trudeau later denounced the lawlessness, calling the riot "appalling."
