The Albany Gazette - Major reshuffle as Trudeau faces party pressure, Trump taunts

The reshuffle came at the end of a chaotic week in Ottawa spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who clashed with her boss over Trump's threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

Her exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau's side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.

Since then, Trudeau has hunkered down with advisers while contemplating his own political future amid calls for him to step down ahead of elections set for October 2025 but expected much sooner.

In Friday's reset, eight new ministers were appointed to replace those in the 35-member cabinet who have signaled they will not seek re-election, and to relieve others of their double or triple duties in government.

Four current ministers were given new responsibilities.

"The new ministry will deliver on what matters most to Canadians: making life more affordable and growing the economy," Trudeau said in a statement.

- Behind in the polls -

New ministers, after being sworn in, all declared their confidence in Trudeau. "This is a moment where we need to stand united," new Transport Minister Anita Anand told reporters.

But part of his caucus has urged Trudeau to resign, worried that voter fatigue with his leadership will hamstring the Liberals in the next election.

Jagmeet Singh, the leader of a small leftist party in parliament, declared as the shuffle was underway that he would join with other opposition parties to topple the minority government early next year.

"This government's time is up," Singh said. "We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons."

MPs are scheduled to return to work at the end of January. But it's unclear how soon Singh's New Democrats -- along with Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois, which also vowed to try to force snap elections -- could vote out the Liberals.

Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021.

But he now trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, by 20 points in public opinion polls, and his Liberals lost four by-elections this year.

At a press conference, Poilievre demanded an election now.

"This cannot go on. With a US president coming in, threatening tariffs early next year, we cannot have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground," he said.

New Official Languages Minister Rachel Bendayan responded to questions about whether or not Trudeau will stay on after Christmas: "He has a choice that he's reflecting on."

- Trump's taunts -

Compounding Trudeau's woes is the possibility that Trump in January will slap 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, accusing both of allowing the United States to be flooded with illicit drugs and undocumented migrants.

More than 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade.

In her resignation letter, Freeland warned this could lead to a "tariff war" with the United States and urged Ottawa to keep its "fiscal powder dry" while rebuking what she said were Trudeau's spendthrift policies.

Trudeau last month traveled to Florida to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in a bid to head off a trade war.

Trump called the talks over dinner "very productive."

But since then the president-elect has also landed humiliating blows on social media, repeatedly calling Trudeau the "governor" of Canada and declaring that making the United States's northern neighbor the 51st US state would be a "great idea."

Political analysts and officials have said the taunts appeared aimed at putting Trudeau on the back foot in bilateral negotiations.

(T.Brown--TAG)