Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau is reported to be considering stepping down amid a crisis that saw his own finance minister resign over Donald Trump’s threat to hike trade tariffs.
Mr Trudeau told his cabinet that he is considering either resignation or prorogation – the process of ending the parliamentary session – according to the broadcaster CTV News. The prime minister is planning to address parliament on Tuesday, the report said.
The episode represents one of the greatest challenges yet of Mr Trudeau’s nearly 10 years as prime minister. His approval rating, which was as high as 63 per cent when he was first elected, has repeatedly dipped below 30 per cent this year amid economic struggles, a housing shortage and disagreements about the issue of immigration.
Some senior figures in Mr Trudeau’s own party have also called for him to resign ahead of a general election due before October next year.
On Monday the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, dramatically resigned just hours before she was set to release the country’s first economic plan ahead of the change of administration in America, where president-elect Trump has promised an “America First” policy of economic nationalism.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Canada's Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, in Kyiv (REUTERS)
Ms Freeland’s stinging resignation letter questioned Mr Trudeau’s ability to deal with the tariffs threatened by the incoming Trump administration, which she referred to as a “grave challenge” facing the country.
Mr Trump has promised to hit Canada with a 25 per cent tariff on goods, something economists say would have serious consequences for a Canadian economy already struggling with high inflation.
The prime minister’s only public comments on Monday came during a holiday party for Liberal donors.
“It’s not been an easy day,” Mr Trudeau said in a room full of party supporters, calling it one of the Liberal party’s “toughest days”. But he did not say what his next steps would be.
“It’s the absolute privilege of my life to serve as your prime minister,” Mr Trudeau continued.
“Canada is the best country on Earth, but it’s not perfect,” he said. “That’s why I wake up every single day thinking about how to make this nation work better for all Canadians.”
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pictured through glass as he speaks with members of his caucus in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday (AP)
In her scathing letter, Ms Freeland, a former journalist, went public with her opposition over Mr Trudeau’s push for short-term spending on vote-winning measures which will expand the budget deficit.
She said Mr Trudeau asked her to take on a less senior post in his cabinet last Friday, after weeks of arguing over spending.
“Our country today faces a grave challenge,” she said in her resignation letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”
She said the “only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet”.
“To be effective, a minister must speak on behalf of the prime minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it,” she added.
Ms Freeland stopped short of elaborating on what she meant by “costly political gimmicks”. But it was likely in reference to disagreements between the finance department and the prime minister’s office over a sales tax exemption during the Christmas holiday season.
Last weekend the government announced a tax exemption allowing Canadians to buy tax-free groceries, snacks, children’s clothing and gifts, as well as sending C$250 cheques to 18.7 million Canadians.
Public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc – a member of Mr Trudeau’s inner circle – was quickly named finance minister of the minority Liberal government.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down on his calls for the prime minister to resign and said the government was spiraling out of control.
“We cannot accept this kind of chaos, division, weakness, while we’re staring down the barrel of a 25 per cent tariff from our biggest trading partner,” he told reporters.
Mr Trudeau, however, accused Mr Poilievre of “actively willing to bet against Canadians and Canada”.
“Pierre Poilievre is uninterested in building homes, delivering vital supports, creating good jobs, or, even as we saw with his opposition towards GST tax break, he’s opposed to even cutting taxes,” Mr Trudeau said.
Mr Trudeau on Monday faced frustrated MPs at a hastily arranged caucus meeting following the finance minister’s shock exit.
Ontario Liberal MP Chad Collins, who was part of the meeting, said the party needs new leadership.
“I’m not going to breach confidentiality in terms of what happened in the caucus, but I can say we’re not united,” he said. “There’s still a number of our members who feel we need a change in leadership. I’m one of those.”
Mr Trudeau won the 2015 election in part by channeling the star power of his late father and former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He promised “sunny ways” after almost a decade of Conservative Party rule.
Mr Trudeau told his cabinet that he is considering either resignation or prorogation – the process of ending the parliamentary session – according to the broadcaster CTV News. The prime minister is planning to address parliament on Tuesday, the report said.
The episode represents one of the greatest challenges yet of Mr Trudeau’s nearly 10 years as prime minister. His approval rating, which was as high as 63 per cent when he was first elected, has repeatedly dipped below 30 per cent this year amid economic struggles, a housing shortage and disagreements about the issue of immigration.
Some senior figures in Mr Trudeau’s own party have also called for him to resign ahead of a general election due before October next year.
On Monday the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, dramatically resigned just hours before she was set to release the country’s first economic plan ahead of the change of administration in America, where president-elect Trump has promised an “America First” policy of economic nationalism.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Canada's Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, in Kyiv (REUTERS)Ms Freeland’s stinging resignation letter questioned Mr Trudeau’s ability to deal with the tariffs threatened by the incoming Trump administration, which she referred to as a “grave challenge” facing the country.
Mr Trump has promised to hit Canada with a 25 per cent tariff on goods, something economists say would have serious consequences for a Canadian economy already struggling with high inflation.
The prime minister’s only public comments on Monday came during a holiday party for Liberal donors.
“It’s not been an easy day,” Mr Trudeau said in a room full of party supporters, calling it one of the Liberal party’s “toughest days”. But he did not say what his next steps would be.
“It’s the absolute privilege of my life to serve as your prime minister,” Mr Trudeau continued.
“Canada is the best country on Earth, but it’s not perfect,” he said. “That’s why I wake up every single day thinking about how to make this nation work better for all Canadians.”
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pictured through glass as he speaks with members of his caucus in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday (AP)In her scathing letter, Ms Freeland, a former journalist, went public with her opposition over Mr Trudeau’s push for short-term spending on vote-winning measures which will expand the budget deficit.
She said Mr Trudeau asked her to take on a less senior post in his cabinet last Friday, after weeks of arguing over spending.
“Our country today faces a grave challenge,” she said in her resignation letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”
She said the “only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet”.
“To be effective, a minister must speak on behalf of the prime minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it,” she added.
Ms Freeland stopped short of elaborating on what she meant by “costly political gimmicks”. But it was likely in reference to disagreements between the finance department and the prime minister’s office over a sales tax exemption during the Christmas holiday season.
Last weekend the government announced a tax exemption allowing Canadians to buy tax-free groceries, snacks, children’s clothing and gifts, as well as sending C$250 cheques to 18.7 million Canadians.
Public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc – a member of Mr Trudeau’s inner circle – was quickly named finance minister of the minority Liberal government.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down on his calls for the prime minister to resign and said the government was spiraling out of control.
“We cannot accept this kind of chaos, division, weakness, while we’re staring down the barrel of a 25 per cent tariff from our biggest trading partner,” he told reporters.
Mr Trudeau, however, accused Mr Poilievre of “actively willing to bet against Canadians and Canada”.
“Pierre Poilievre is uninterested in building homes, delivering vital supports, creating good jobs, or, even as we saw with his opposition towards GST tax break, he’s opposed to even cutting taxes,” Mr Trudeau said.
Mr Trudeau on Monday faced frustrated MPs at a hastily arranged caucus meeting following the finance minister’s shock exit.
Ontario Liberal MP Chad Collins, who was part of the meeting, said the party needs new leadership.
“I’m not going to breach confidentiality in terms of what happened in the caucus, but I can say we’re not united,” he said. “There’s still a number of our members who feel we need a change in leadership. I’m one of those.”
Mr Trudeau won the 2015 election in part by channeling the star power of his late father and former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He promised “sunny ways” after almost a decade of Conservative Party rule.
2024-12-16 18:54:48 温哥华港湾
温哥华港湾（BCbay.com）肖莉综合报道：加拿大政坛大地震！
周一(16日)上午，加拿大副总理兼财长方慧兰(Chrystia Freeland)突然宣布：辞去特鲁多内阁职务！
CBC的消息称，方慧兰的突然辞职，对加拿大总理特鲁多的留任构成了致命威胁，国会山庄乱成一团。 加拿大公共安全部长勒布朗(Dominic LeBlanc)临危受命接任。
CTV的报道称，有消息人士表示，特鲁多已透露，他正在考虑辞职。
与此同时，保守党和魁北克政团领导人已要求政府立即举行大选，新民主党领导人驵勉诚(Jagmeet Singh)更是公开敦促特鲁多辞职。
CTV的报道还指出，特鲁多也考虑让议会休会，此举或许对防止他的政府垮台能有所帮助。
方慧兰闪电辞职
周一上午，方慧兰闪电辞职的消息震惊加拿大，因为距离联邦政府发布秋季经济报告只有几小时了。
一位政府高级消息人士透露，方慧兰的突然辞职并非计划内事件。
在写给特鲁多总理的信中，方慧兰直言：“上周五，您告知我不再需要我担任财政部长，并为我提供了内阁中的另一个职位。经过深思熟虑，我认为唯一诚实且可行的选择是辞去内阁职务。”
方慧兰说，“过去几周，你和我发现，我们对什么是加拿大的最佳前行之路产生了分歧。”
据报道，方慧兰和特鲁多就向加拿大人承诺的250元支票问题产生了分歧。
方慧兰说，加拿大正在应对川普征收25%关税的威胁，应该避免“难以承受”的“昂贵政治噱头”。
方慧兰在辞职信中说，“我们的国家正面临一项严峻挑战”，“这意味着要在财政上做好战备，这样，在即将到来的关税战中，我们才能有所需储备。”
反对党要求立即大选
方慧兰宣布辞职之后，联邦保守党领袖博励治(Pierre Poilievre)要求政府立即举行大选，理由是自由党因高层的辞职事件陷入混乱，“一切都失控了”！
他直言，距离川普宣誓就任美国总统仅剩一个多月，加拿大已经没有时间浪费。
博励治还呼吁新民主党领袖驵勉诚(Jagmeet Singh)不要再支持自由党政府，要向刚刚发布的秋季经济报告投不信任票，拉倒自由党政府，直接触发大选。
博励治表示，加拿大最好是在川普就职(1月20日)之前，或是在他执政的头一两周内完成大选。这样，加拿大人就可以有一个强硬的总理与川普政府针锋相对。
新民主党领袖驵勉诚周一中午也在国会大楼外表示，特鲁多必须下台，但他就没有说明是否会支持保守党，仅表示所有方案都会仔细考虑。
加拿大赤字狂增
一片混乱之中，联邦政府今天仍如期向众议院提交了秋季经济报告。
令人失望的是，加拿大的债务危机将进一步加深。
今年春季财政预算案时，方慧兰声言要将赤字控制在401亿元，结果她的目标无法实现，在刚刚过去的财年，加拿大的财政赤字狂飙到619亿加元。
加广中文报道，报告指出，赤字大幅增加的主要原因，是原住民诉讼赔偿和疫情期间津贴等额外支出，两笔支出分别达到164亿及47亿元。
财政部官员解释，在这些单次支出以后，赤字有望回落。政府预测2024-2025年的预算平衡将降至赤字483亿元，再一年则降至422亿元。
不过，财政预算案中方慧兰的第二项目标、即在今个财政年将债务与GDP比率维持在42.1%，仍然成功达成。
财政预算案被指没有新招式，但可看到政府寻求应对美国候任总统川普重返白宫、以商界为本的措施，当中预计将在未来6年动用211亿元。
13亿保护边境
首先加拿大政府将斥资13亿元保护边境，资金将用于加拿大公共安全局、加拿大边境服务局、加拿大通信安全局和加拿大皇家骑警。
174亿鼓励投资，防止资本离境
政府计划在六年内斥资174亿元，投入到投资激励政策及工业生产上。
11亿鼓励科研
政府还计划斥资11亿元，增加对科学研究和实验开发的税收优惠。
报告亦有将则刚开始的商品税务假期包括在内，但就未有提及向加拿大就业人士发放250加元支票的计划。
