Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office over nine years ago on a promise to modernize Canada. For example, when asked why he had purposefully made his cabinet gender-balanced, he replied, “Because it’s 2015.”
Now it’s 2024, and Trudeau — with an approval rating of only 28 percent — is now one of the most loathed prime ministers in Canadian history. His opponents, the Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, are leading in the polls and are the clear favorites to take power in elections next year.
Part of the surge against Trudeau and for the Conservatives is Poilievre, an incredibly effective communicator who rarely strays from his message.
In one exchange, he was asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff plan. It could have been a damaging question for Poilievre, as Trudeau hopes to tie him to Trump, who is unpopular in Canada — but Poilievre effortlessly turned it into an attack on Trudeau’s spending and failure to control the price of housing.
Housing is one of the major reasons Trudeau is in trouble: after spending billions on the problem, costs are still rising, as rent is up nearly 10 percent in 2023 alone. It’s been exacerbated by Trudeau’s immigration policy, in which he allowed millions to enter the country on various visa schemes, including student permits; once in, many never leave.
This has also changed Canada’s demographics. Immigration of primarily young men has skewed the Canadian gender ratio; one study showed that Canada has nearly 10 percent more young men than young women.
That has accompanied a sharp increase in crime, with Canada’s homicide levels reaching a 30-year-high.
Trudeau has attempted to mitigate his issues by spending more and cutting immigration — but after nine years, it is likely too little too late. His finance minister just resigned, and calls are growing from within his own Liberal Party to stand aside before the elections next year so that they can stave off political annihilation.
However, Trudeau is refusing to resign and seems determined to see it through to the end. Elections must be held by late next year, if not earlier, which means the end of Trudeau and his Liberal Party’s rule is on the horizon.
