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'Trudeau Is Finished': Canadian Prime Minister Resigns After Support Collapses
"Conservatives are jumping at the opportunity to take from you and give more to CEOs," said the head of Canada's social democratic political party. "You will pay the price of Poilievre's cuts."
Jan 06, 2025
After nearly a decade leading the Canadian government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he will resign after his center-right Liberal Party selects a new leader—acquiescing to calls that he should make way for new leadership ahead of a federal election later this year.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said "I care deeply about this country and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interests of Canadians. And the fact is, despite best efforts to work through it, parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history." He also added that the country's parliament will be suspended until the end of March while a new leader is chosen.
Trudeau's announcement comes as he faces declining public opinion polling, President-elect Donald Trump's threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, and the departure of the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland less than a month ago.
In her strongly worded resignation letter in December, Freeland wrote that Trudeau had told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and that she and Trudeau had found themselves "at odds" over the best way forward for Canada.
"The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25% tariffs. We need to take that threat extremely serious. That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today," Freeland wrote. She also warned against "costly political gimmicks" that the country could "ill afford."
Freeland and Trudeau were reportedly in disagreement over some of the prime minister's proposed policies to tackle the country's cost-of-living crisis. The resignation was followed by calls from across the political spectrum for Trudeau to resign.
That is not the first time Trudeau has faced significant calls to step down in the past 6 months. In October, at a closed-door caucus meeting, Liberal Party members urged him to resign to avoid diminishing the party's chances in the next election.
Jagmeet Singh, the head of Canada's New Democratic Party—a social democratic political party that is to the left of the Liberals—reacted to Trudeau's resignation, writing "Justin Trudeau has let you down, over and over. He let you down on the cost of groceries. He let you down on fixing health care. It doesn't matter who leads the Liberals. They don't deserve another chance."
"Conservatives are jumping at the opportunity to take from you and give more to CEOs," he continued. "You will pay the price of [Conservative Party leader Pierre] Poilievre's cuts."
Polling shows that Poilievre, who has aligned himself with U.S. President-elect's far-right brand of politics, would likely win a majority government elections were held today.
MP Niki Ashton, an NDP lawmaker representing parts of Manitoba, also didn't mourn Trudeau's exit but warned about a Conservative government and the "anti-worker" agenda of Poilievre.
"Trudeau is finished," Ashton said, describing the Liberal leader as one "who only helped people when forced to by the NDP."
"But we know, Poilievre will be a disaster," she added. "We can't let that happen."
With Trudeau out, the Liberal Party must now select an interim leader, followed by.a leadership race to find a permanent replacement, which is expected to feature Freeland. A federal election must be held by October 20, 2025, but could be held sooner if a snap election is called.
Trump reacted to the news of Trudeau's resignation on Truth Social by saying that if Canada merged with the United States then the country would be free from tariffs, taxes would decrease, and it would be secure from what he claimed were threats from China and Russia. "Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!" he wrote.
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South Korean Parliament Votes 190-0 to Reverse Martial Law Edict
"The declaration of the martial law is now invalid—the people now can be relieved," said National Assembly Speak Woo Won Shik after the vote.
Dec 03, 2024
This is a developing story... Check back for possible updates...
Members of South Korea's parliament voted unanimously and across party lines on Tuesday to rescind a declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol just hours earlier.
Following the 190-0 vote, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declared that the president's declaration was no longer valid and vowed that the elected representatives of parliament would "protect democracy with the people."
"Through the passage of the motion through the National Assembly, the president must immediately lift the martial law," Woo said in a statement. "The declaration of the martial law is now invalid—the people [of South Korea] now can be relieved."
The effort by Yoon to impose martial law, reports Reuters, "which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was vocally opposed by the speaker of parliament and even the leader of Yoon's own [conservative] party, Han Dong-hoon, who has clashed with the president over his handling of recent scandals."
According to the Associated Press:
Police and military personnel were seen leaving the Assembly's grounds after Woo called for their withdrawal. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said the party’s lawmakers will remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifts his order.
"Democratic Party lawmakers, including me and many others, will protect our country's democracy and future and public safety, lives and properties, with our own lives," Lee told reporters.
The AP was providing a live feed from outside parliament in Seoul, where some had gathered to protest the move by Yoon:
The South Korean military reportedly said it would not stand down until Yoon officially lifted the order, as members of the opposition, including Lee and Woo, vowed to remain inside the parliament until such an order was delivered.
According to the Korean Herald: "Under the Constitution, martial law must be lifted when a parliamentary majority demands it." The newspaper reported that martial law troops had dispersed following the request of the Speaker Woo.
The parliamentary motion was passed less than three hours after Yoon first declared martial law.
"I remind [the presidential office] clearly that they must carry out the process of lifting the martial law without delay," said Woo.
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Corbyn Loses No-Confidence Vote, Vows Not to 'Betray' Supporters by Resigning
'Labour has the responsibility to give a lead where the government will not.... To do that we need to stand together.'
Jun 28, 2016
Update:
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost a no-confidence vote by 176 to 40 on Tuesday. That means 81 percent of his party is calling for his resignation.
Sky News reports that "Labour deputy leader Tom Watson and former shadow business secretary Angela Eagle have been meeting. The pair are believed to be the most likely to attempt a leadership challenge."
Following the vote, Corbyn released this statement:
In the aftermath of last week's referendum, our country faces major challenges. Risks to the economy and living standards are growing. The public is divided.
The government is in disarray. Ministers have made it clear they have no exit plan, but are determined to make working people pay with a new round of cuts and tax rises.
Labour has the responsibility to give a lead where the government will not. We need to bring people together, hold the government to account, oppose austerity and set out a path to exit that will protect jobs and incomes.
To do that we need to stand together. Since I was elected leader of our party nine months ago, we have repeatedly defeated the government over its attacks on living standards.
Last month, Labour become the largest party in the local elections. In Thursday's referendum, a narrow majority voted to leave, but two thirds of Labour supporters backed our call for a remain vote.
I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy.
We are a democratic party, with a clear constitution. Our people need Labour party members, trade unionists and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country.
Earlier:
Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn rallied on Tuesday as the embattled Labour Party leader faced a no-confidence vote in the ongoing Brexit crisis.
The vote came amid days of internal upheaval. Dozens of Corbyn's shadow cabinet members resigned, stating they had lost their faith in his ability to lead the country as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. The results of the vote are expected to be announced later Tuesday morning.
An estimated 10,000 people gathered outside of Parliament on Tuesday to express support for Corbyn, who addressed the crowd after the meeting.
"Can we all agree we are going to unite together as one people, one society, one community, to oppose racism?" he said. "Don't let the people who wish us ill divide us."
Tuesday's no-confidence vote is nonbinding. While it would be considered standard procedure for a leader to step down if the majority of his party voted for his resignation, Corbyn is expected to fight what his supporters have said is a coup and an attempt to "introduce a more right-wing Conservative government by the backdoor."
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell also spoke to the crowd, reassuring supporters that Corbyn would not be ousted.
"Let me say this, let me make this absolutely clear to you," McDonnell said. "Jeremy Corbyn was elected only nine months ago with the biggest mandate any elected leader has had from the rank and file membership of their party. The biggest. We call that democracy."
"What we've seen over the last few days is a small number of MPs seeking to undermine the democratic decisions of the Labour Party members and the Labour and trade union movement," he continued. "Let me make it absolutely clear. Jeremy Corbyn is not resigning, he's staying."
A Labour spokesperson said Tuesday that the only way for the party to officially challenge Corbyn would be to collect nominations and launch a new election, which Corbyn has said he would run in.
"The people who elect the leader of the Labour Party are the members of the Labour Party, and Jeremy has made that crystal clear. He's not going to concede to a corridor coup or backroom deal that tries to flush him out," the spokesperson told the Guardian. "He was elected by an overwhelming majority of the Labour party. He is not going to betray those people and stand down because of pressure."
Outside of Parliament on Tuesday, one protester, a doctor who works at a London hospital, told the Telegraph that she supported Corbyn because he had helped prevent the privatization of British healthcare.
"The Labour Party is made up of two things: it's made up of self-interested Blairite MPs," she said, referring to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, "and the membership, which is people like me who want a better type of politics."
"Austerity is a false narrative, and Corbyn is the only person who has a message that the NHS [National Health Service] will thrive under," she said.
Speaking to the crowd after the vote, McDonnell also said the "handful of MPs" who were calling for Corbyn's resignation were allowed to "seek another election."
As the crowd chanted, "Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn," McDonnell said: "But let me make it clear: if there is another leadership election, Jeremy Corbyn will be standing again and I will support him. This is not about any individual, this is about democracy of the movement."
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