Students witness end of decade-long Liberal regime

After nearly a decade in power, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday, January 6, he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. In his announcement, Trudeau stated his intention to remain Prime Minister until a new Liberal Party leader was chosen.

On Notre Dame’s campus, the reactions of Canadian students ranged from excited to apprehensive, coinciding with a general feeling of uncertainty about the future of Canadian politics. To uncover these unique perspectives, the Rover interviewed several of these students.

Trudeau’s announcement comes in the backdrop of growing discontent with his Liberal government, which has been in power since 2015. According to the Angus Reid Institute, Trudeau’s approval rating sunk to just 22 percent, with 74 percent of Canadian voters disapproving of his performance, as of December 24. 

These numbers represent Trudeau’s lowest job approval rating throughout his tenure as prime minister, produced by Trudeau’s deep unpopularity over several issues, including rising housing costs and unemployment—two issues associated with immigration policies carried out by the Liberal Party government. These problems have been compounded by high inflation, which in August 2024 spiked to its highest rate since 2011.

Trudeau has also faced pressure from newly elected President Donald Trump, who threatened a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods and seemingly mocked Trudeau, referring to him as “Governor” and Canada as the potential 51st state. However, the final trigger for Trudeau’s decision came when Canada’s former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly announced her resignation from Trudeau’s cabinet on December 16. 

Her announcement, which came a day after Liberal Housing Minister Sean Fraser also resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet, criticized several of Trudeau’s economic priorities in the face of Trump’s threats, including his plan to send 250 dollar checks to 18.7 million people, describing it in her resignation letter as a “costly political gimmick.”

During his announcement, Trudeau announced that the Canadian Parliament, due to resume on January 27, would be suspended until March 24 to allow for a competitive Liberal Party leadership race to take place. Among the short-list of potential successors include Mark Carney, an economist and Liberal government advisor; Dominic LeBlanc, a close Trudeau ally and newly-appointed Finance Minister; and previously mentioned Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s former Deputy Prime Minister. 

Following the resumption of the Canadian Parliament, all three main opposition parties claim they plan to initiate a no-confidence vote against Liberal leadership, likely kickstarting a general election this spring. The primary opposition candidate, Pierre Poilievre, appears the clear frontrunner. According to 338 Canada, Poilievre’s Conservatives currently lead the second-place Canadian Liberal Party by 24 points–45 percent to 21 percent. This would give them 238 seats to the Liberal’s 41, according to 338’s projection model.

In their interviews with the Rover, several Canadian students at Notre Dame shared their thoughts on Trudeau’s resignation. A Sorin sophomore from Toronto cited the sense of growing dissatisfaction with Trudeau’s Liberal Party government. 

“Cost of living has gone up for so many people,” he explained. “[Canadians] see [Trudeau] as responsible, and him solely responsible.” 

The sophomore also gave his opinion on who he would like to see replace Trudeau as party leader, citing Liberal government advisor and economist Mark Carney as a potential successor.

“I think he’s probably the best leader for the Liberal Party, given that they’re probably gonna become a minority and that they’re gonna need a professional face, someone who’s good with economics [and] can ride the ship,” he stated. “That being said, I would like to see the country go in a new direction,” he added.

Other students also reflected the desire for a new direction in Canadian leadership, expressing optimism at the news of Trudeau’s resignation. Kerry Jiang, a Knott freshman from Vancouver, told the Rover he thought it was “the right decision for Trudeau to resign, so the country’s economy can improve, and the overall cultural identity [of Canada] can become more unified.”

Other students were more apprehensive. Carson Weber, a Sorin freshman from Toronto, shared his belief that while Trudeau’s resignation represented a positive direction for Canadian politics, it didn’t fundamentally respond to the desires of most Canadian voters, indicating he would like to see a general election and change in party control.

“[Trudeau is] more so just buying time for the Liberal Party to hopefully recover before the election,” Weber explained. “He’s just going to eventually have another Liberal replace him until the election later this year, which a lot of Canadians are pushing to be moved up … because they’re unhappy with the leadership. By resigning, he’s not really granting Canadians that wish for an election.”

Weber told the Rover he planned to vote for Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre in the upcoming general election. “I’m not a huge fan of him,” Weber admitted, “but I do think that he’s going to do much better than the current Liberals.”

Regarding the situation as a whole, the sophomore from Sorin summarized Trudeau’s resignation as the natural ebb and flow of Canadian politics.

“I think just generally speaking, historically, there’s been ebbs and flows of conservatism and liberalism,” he explained. “I think it’s good for the country … keeping the books and keeping various moral standings in check. They change, but they don’t change too much.”

David Murphy is a freshman studying political science and economics. When he is not crippled with schoolwork, he enjoys going on walks and working out in the gym. He can be reached by email at dmurph23@nd.edu

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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