Canada's deputy prime minister's sudden resignation has intensified calls for Justin Trudeau to step down, as his popularity sinks further amid opposition attacks and tariff threats from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Chrystia Freeland, after nearly a decade of being at Prime Minister Trudeau's side, made the surprise announcement on Monday, after disagreeing with her boss over Trump's tariff proposals.
The move marked the first open dissent against Trudeau from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.
"As a country, we have to project strength and unity, and it's chaos right now up in Ottawa," commented Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
When the news broke, Canada's provincial premiers were meeting about Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
"This is not the best time to have a (power) vacuum," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said. "I'd be looking at this wondering who the next leader is going to be" and whether the political upheaval in Ottawa will derail Canada's approach to Trump.
In her resignation letter, Freeland said the country faces a "grave challenge."
More than 75% of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade.
Freeland warned the standoff could lead to a "tariff war" with the United States and urged Ottawa to keep its "fiscal powder dry" while rebuking Trudeau's spendthrift policies.
She resigned just hours before she was to provide an update on the nation's finances – a Can$62 billion (US$43.5 billion) deficit that blew past her earlier projections.
According to a Nanos Research poll released Tuesday, Trudeau trails his main rival, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, by 20 points.
A small group of Liberal MPs who previously urged Trudeau to step aside, hoping a fresh face could breathe new life into their beleaguered party, has reportedly ballooned and now represents one-third of the party caucus.
Among them, Yvan Baker told public broadcaster CBC: "I think it's in the best interest of the country and of the party" to transition to a new Liberal leader before the next elections.
"Canadians want change," he said.
"He should resign," echoed Liberal MP Helena Jaczek.
Jaczek told reporters after the Liberal caucus met that "firing the minister of finance who has served you extremely well is not what I'd call a trustworthy move."
"I think he needs to go," fellow Liberal MP Francis Drouin told Radio-Canada. "For me, (Freeland's resignation) was the straw that broke the camel's back... It's time to clean house."
Jagmeet Singh, leader of a small leftwing faction in parliament that had kept the Liberals in office before breaking with Trudeau in late August, has also joined the chorus.
"They're fighting themselves instead of fighting for Canadians," he told reporters. "For that reason, I'm calling on Justin Trudeau to resign. He has to go."
Conservative leader Poilievre has tried three times since September to topple the Liberal minority government and force snap elections, saying Trudeau was weak.
He also demanded his resignation, telling a press conference: "We simply cannot go on like this. The government is spiraling out of control... at the very worst time."
Trudeau, who appeared so far to brush off the controversy, commented at a fundraiser Monday evening only that it had "not been an easy day."
He has vowed to lead the Liberals into the next elections, which are scheduled for October 2025 but analysts say they could come much sooner.
"He has already taken many blows but this time, it is really difficult not to see it as a fatal blow," University of Alberta professor Frederic Boily told AFP.
Boily said, however, he would be "surprised if he resigned before Christmas because it would create even more chaos."
