OTTAWA, Canada—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday morning that he will step down as Liberal Party leader, paving the way for a leadership contest. This comes as Trudeau’s popularity has waned, with the Liberal Party trailing the Conservative Party in support.
Leader of the Canadian Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre, is poised to succeed Trudeau and faces a significant advantage in the next general election, with the Conservatives holding nearly three times the support of committed voters. Poilievre, 45, has been criticized for his populist messaging, which has drawn comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mantra.
In a recent interview with popular podcast host Jordan Peterson, Poilievre criticized Trudeau’s governing style, calling it “basically authoritarian socialism.” He has also accused Trudeau of governing with an “extremely radical ideology” and has pledged to “make Canada great again.”
Poilievre has also pushed back against Trump’s recent comments suggesting that Canada should become the 51st state of the U.S. The Conservative leader emphasized that Canada will never become a state of the U.S. and would instead seek a strong and fair deal with the U.S. as prime minister.
A Poilievre-led government would focus on increasing approvals for oil refineries, liquefied natural gas plants, and nuclear facilities, as well as increasing the country’s electricity surplus with the U.S. He has also pledged to embark on the “biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history” and to ban drugs and stop gun smugglers.
On foreign affairs, the Canadian Conservatives’ 2023 policy document states that they would renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. to close gaps relating to illegal entries in Canada and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In response to Trudeau’s resignation, Poilievre released a statement, saying that “this changes nothing” and that a Conservative government would “take back control of our border, take back control of immigration, take back control of spending, deficits and inflation. Take back control of our streets by locking up criminals, banning drugs, treating addiction and stopping gun smugglers.” The Conservatives, added Poilievre, “would secure borders, rearm our forces, restore our freedom and put Canada First.”