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Sources have told CNN-News18 that the Canadian PM is under pressure on the economy front as the US tariff threat is likely to push Canada into recession
Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021 but now trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre. (AFP)
The year 2024 has been a difficult one for Justin Trudeau. On Friday, rattled by a political turmoil and tensions with incoming US President Donald Trump, the Canadian prime minister rejigged his cabinet, changing one-third of his team.
But for Trudeau, the worries don’t end here. Sources have told CNN-News18 that the PM is under pressure on the economy front as the US tariff threat is likely to push Canada into recession. It is expected that Trump will slap 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico in January, accusing both of allowing the United States to be flooded with illicit drugs and undocumented migrants. More than 75 per cent of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade.
Coupled with this, Trudeau’s approval rating has hit an all-time low of 28 per cent, with a net approval rating of -40.
According to an exclusive intelligence note accessed by CNN-News18, the Trudeau government is unable to give federal government security to the people of Canada and insecurity is growing because of possible recession and crises in days to come once Trump is in office.
“NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is likely to join the Conservatives to secure his future and save himself from embarrassment. The Cloverdale-Langley City elections on Monday, where Conservatives took the seat with 66 per cent of the vote and Liberals took 16 per cent, was another shock. Once American tariffs are imposed, thousands of people will go out of work,” the sources said.
They added that Trudeau’s Liberal Party is facing infighting, partly due to tensions with India over the Khalistan issue.
“The tensions with India have also been linked to Trudeau’s efforts to impress the Canadian Sikhs. Presently, Trudeau is under stress for overly focused on domestic politics rather than addressing the real economic issues.”
Another pressing issue is threat to federal structure as states are insecure and want to handle the crises independently “because they have no faith in Trudeau, especially in view of the impending economic crises from USA”.
Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021. But he now trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, by 20 points in public opinion polls, and his Liberals lost four by-elections this year.
(With AFP inputs)