Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a Canada-U.S. relations council to aid the federal government in dealing with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat. The 18-member council includes Steve Verheul, who served as Canada’s chief trade negotiator during the renegotiation of NAFTA as well as former provincial premiers Jean Charest (Quebec), Rachel Notley (Alberta) and Stephen McNeil (Nova Scotia). “The council will use sectoral expertise to support the prime minister and cabinet at this important time in the Canada-U.S. relationship,” reads a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office released Thursday. https://tnc.news/2025/01/18/charest-notley-trudeau-canada-us-relations-council/

The prime minister has largely disappeared from public view since Dec. 16, when Chrystia Freeland — his finance minister and once his most powerful ally in cabinet — resigned in devastating fashion, with a public letter that criticized him. Trudeau spent much of the holidays at a ski resort in western Canada and is not planning any official events or appearances by the end of the week, according to a person familiar with his schedule. He has given no public indication yet of when he’ll announce a decision about his future. Members of the Liberal caucus of Quebec, Trudeau’s home province, have asked the prime minister to step aside, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., following a similar declaration by those in Ontario. Some Liberal members of the House of Commons have gone public, including Toronto lawmaker Rob Oliphant, who posted a letter asking Trudeau to make way for “a new leader elected through a robust, open leadership contest.” Liberal representatives from the Atlantic provinces said Donald Trump’s imminent return to power in Washington makes it more urgent that Trudeau makes a decision. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/01/02/trudeau-leaves-canada-in-suspense-as-anxious-liberals-urge-him-to-go/

A former chief adviser and close friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn’t think Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election. Gerald Butts writes in a Substack newsletter today that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s recent resignation from cabinet dealt Trudeau a staggering blow that loosened his already tenuous grip on the party. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/politics/2024/12/27/conservatives-call-for-no-confidence-vote-by-late-january/

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has cancelled scheduled year-end interviews with legacy media outlets, an unprecedented move amid the political turmoil started by Chrystia Freeland’s resignation from his cabinet last week. The Hill Times confirmed cancellations with at least seven major media organizations, including Global News, CBC, CTV, Radio-Canada, TVA Nouvelles, and a joint interview with CityNews and OMNI Television. https://tnc.news/2024/12/23/trudeau-cancels-year-end-interviews-as-caucus-revolt-grows/

In the letter, addressed to Canadians, Singh says he will "put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," and "give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them." This latest blow — seeing the NDP pull out the only pillar of parliamentary support the embattled Liberal government was relying on to stay in power — comes just ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arriving at Rideau Hall to shuffle his cabinet. "I called for Justin Trudeau to resign, and he should," Singh said, not specifying how early into the 2025 sitting this motion moving to defeat the prime minister's Liberal government could be advanced. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/singh-says-the-ndp-will-vote-to-bring-this-government-down-in-new-letter-1.7153541

Trudeau's ‘feminist reputation’ BASHED following Freeland’s resignation! After taking office, Trudeau assembled a cabinet with an equal number of women and men, yet a number of women were either deposed or did not seek re-election. 🇨🇦 #NoMoreLiberalsAndNDP 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 #SayingTheQuietPartOutLoud 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 #resigntrudeau 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 #JustSayNoMore 🇨🇦 https://www.rebelnews.com/trudeau_feminist_reputation_bashed_freeland_resignation

Trump’s return to the world stage – even though his official inauguration is on January 20 – is already claiming numerous victims. Arguably, even the fall of both the French and German government in recent months have been given some impetus by the political events in the US. But one of the clearest victims appears to be Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who resigned yesterday, citing differences with PM Trudeau’s Cabinet over how to prepare for a looming trade war with its big neighbour. Observers say her comments in her resignation letter on “eschewing political gimmicks” likely refer to the temporary tax cuts and pay-checks planned by the government to support consumption. She sees handing out money as fiscally imprudent. Given that she announced her decision just hours before she was due to speak in Parliament on the fiscal and economic outlook, markets reacted with a fall in the Canadian dollar (depreciating some 0.4% vis-à-vis the US dollar) and rising bond yields (some 7bp on the 10y note) https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trumps-return-world-stage-already-claiming-numerous-victims

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has taken over the finance portfolio following Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation from cabinet. LeBlanc was sworn into the new role at Rideau Hall Monday afternoon shortly after the government tabled its fall economic statement, which Freeland was slated to present prior to her announcement Monday morning. https://tnc.news/2024/12/16/trudeau-to-name-leblanc-finance-minister2/

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced her resignation from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, taking aim at “costly political gimmicks” on the eve of the government’s fall economic update. In a letter to Trudeau posted on social media Monday morning, Freeland said rather than be shuffled to another cabinet position she will be resigning, claiming she and Trudeau have been “at odds about the best path forward for Canada.” There have been several reports that Trudeau is actively courting former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to join his cabinet. https://tnc.news/2024/12/16/freeland-resigns1/

In a stunning move that shakes the government, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after he tried to move her to a different role. Freeland has been the most powerful person in Trudeau’s cabinet for years, and was the point person in strategizing how to counter US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs. Trudeau has now seen the departure of two finance ministers in a little more than four years. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/canadian-finmin-freeland-quits-warns-trudeau-trump-tariffs-are-grave-challenge