Trudeau participates in Canada-U.S. relations cabinet committee amid calls to resign

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was taking part in a cabinet committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations today, amid increasing calls for his resignation.

A mid-day adjustment to Trudeau’s itinerary was issued by the Prime Minister’s Office and noted he was taking part in the meeting virtually, though a specific time wasn’t listed.

Neither Trudeau, nor Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc issued a public comment after the meeting.

Last week was a chaotic one for the governing Liberals, starting with Chrystia Freeland’s cabinet resignation just hours after she was set to table the fall economic statement.

Freeland and LeBlanc have previously spoken with the media at the conclusion of these cabinet committee meetings on dealing with the incoming Trump administration.

The committee was reformed following Donald Trump’s re-election, and a chief topic of discussion at the meetings has been border security after the incoming president threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products.

Several Liberal MPs publicly called for Trudeau to step down as Liberal leader since Freeland’s resignation, and the NDP has joined the other major opposition parties in saying it no longer has confidence in the minority Liberal government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024