Trudeau ending 11-year Canadian leadership marred by confrontation with India (Ld)

Ottawa, Jan 7 Justin Trudeau is ending his 11-year leadership role, nine years as Canada’s Prime Minister, that was marred by his confrontation with India and deference to Khalistanis.

He announced on Monday that he will step down as Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party, but will continue in office till a new leader is elected.

Speaking outside his official residence here he said, "I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process”.

He said that the House of Commons will be prorogued till March 24, which means it will be dormant and the opposition cannot force a vote of no-confidence against him.

Egged on by his one-time ally Jagmeet Singh, leader of the opposition, New Democratic Party, he accused India of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Khalistanis.

Some in his government made personal allegations against some Indian leaders without presenting proof, linking India to the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

But that was not enough to mollify Singh, on whose support his minority government relied on to stay in power.

Singh joined the chorus for Trudeau’s resignation, as his poll ratings cratered and his party and the government plunged into chaos with the ouster of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

That, in turn, led to Liberal Party MPs calling for Trudeau’s resignation.

The Trudeau government's campaign against India did nothing to salvage his reputation.

A visit to India by Trudeau to India exposed his government's entanglement with Khalistanis.

Trudeau’s penchant for showmanship backfired during the trip when he and his family dressed in Bollywood glam, and it was overshadowed by an invitation sent for a reception he was hosting to Jaspal Atwal, a Khalistani convicted of involvement in an assassination plot against the then-Punjab Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu.

The Liberal Party has only 153 seats in the 338-member, far short of the 170 needed for a majority.

Trudeau’s government was on life support after the New Democratic Party broke an agreement in September to support him without joining the government.

Any leader succeeding him will have to get the support of the minority parties.

If this is not possible, an early election before the October deadline could become inevitable giving an edge to the opposition Conservative Party.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Marcel Poilievre is waiting in the wings and if he becomes Prime Minister a reset of Canada’s policies can be expected.

Polilievre has blamed Trudeau for ruining relations with India by being “unprofessional”.

He said in an interview with Toronto's Namaste Radio last year, that Trudeau "is so incompetent and unprofessional that now we are in major disputes with almost every major power in the world and that includes India”.

Trudeau has become “a laughingstock in India -- the world's biggest democracy”. Polilievre said.

Trudeau said he asked Liberal Party President Sachit Mehra to immediately begin the process for electing a new leader.

Trudeau, however, declared that his quest for power was not over, even though he had become unpopular and his party was facing defeat in an election.

"I'm a fighter. Every bone in my body has always told me to fight because I care deeply about Canadians. I care deeply about this country, and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interest of Canadians,” he said.

The son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin became PM in 2015, after two years as party leader.

His prime ministership was rocked after he pushed out Freeland, who held the finance portfolio, last month.

In her resignation letter, Freeland, who was popular, said, “I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada”.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened tariffs against Canada, added to Trudeau’s woes.

Trump accused Trudeau’s government of allowing illegal migrants to cross over the US, endangering it.

According to a Canadian Customs and Border Protection Service report, 358 people on terror watch lists were caught trying to enter the US from Canada in the fiscal year 2024, an indication of Trudeau’s lax policies towards terrorism.

After Trudeau visited him in Mar-a-Lago, Trump ridiculed him as the “Governor of the 51st State” because of his pleas for concessions.

Trudeau came to power with flamboyance and moralising, capitalising on his heredity.

But the charm wore off as Canadians were hammered by high prices and general angst over crime and quality of life.

Last month, the poll tracker from the Angus Reid Institute showed his approval rating at an abysmal 22 per cent last month.