ottawa –
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lost his mandate as a political, moral and ethical leader and a general election should be held in the new year.
This comes as Chrystia Freeland has been at loggerheads with Trudeau for the past few weeks, saying the government should end costly “political gimmicks” amid tariff threats from President-elect Donald Trump. This was after he resigned as Finance Minister after making explosive statements.
Blanchett said a new Congress should be established “as soon as possible” to address issues related to the incoming Trump administration.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre held a press conference today in Mississauga, Ont., where his party said Trudeau cannot be trusted to deal with the tariff threat.
Conservatives are also asking the House Commerce Committee to investigate the threat of tariffs between President Trump’s inauguration, January 2nd and January 20th.
Blanchett said elections should be held as soon as possible in the new year because it’s “logical” that Canadians don’t want to campaign during the holiday season.
The House of Representatives is in session today for the holiday break and is expected to reconvene on January 27th.
Yesterday, several Liberal MPs publicly called for Mr Trudeau to resign following Mr Freeland’s resignation.
Ontario MP Chad Collins walked out of the evening’s caucus meeting and told reporters that the Liberal caucus was divided and the party needed a leadership contest.
Dominique LeBlanc was sworn in as the new finance minister on Monday, minutes after the government’s autumn economic statement was released.
The budget deficit has widened to nearly $62 billion, according to an economic update, far exceeding the $40 billion goal Freeland set earlier this year.
The update includes $1.3 billion in new spending to strengthen the border in response to President Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
LeBlanc, who is also responsible for intergovernmental affairs and democratic institutions, said his main priority as finance minister would be to address affordability issues.
He will also continue to oversee new border measures and the public safety file until Trudeau makes a broader cabinet reshuffle. That is expected to happen soon, in order to replace cabinet ministers who have announced they will not seek re-election.
Once the House reconvenes, the Liberals may no longer be able to rely on NDP support on confidence issues.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Monday called for Prime Minister Trudeau to resign, but stopped short of saying his party’s caucus would vote to topple the government. The party has passed three no-confidence motions together with the Liberal Party so far this fall, ensuring the survival of the minority government.
Much of the autumn session was dominated by a filibuster in the House of Commons against a Conservative privilege motion related to irregular spending in the now-defunct Green Technology Fund. As a result, most bills in the House of Representatives have stalled since late September.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2024.
