A Canadian prime minister who has outstayed his welcome, persistent inflation, a government bumped and bruised by scandal and a fired-up opposition leader itching for a public showdown.
It was against this backdrop, four decades ago, that Pierre Trudeau took his apocryphal “walk in the snow” and decided not to contest the next federal election.
After a shocking upset in a “safe” electoral district and with a looming possibility of a blowout in the next federal election, Justin Trudeau’s predicament closely mirrors that of his father.
But the incumbent prime minister says he has no intention of stepping down, despite mounting evidence the public is growing increasingly weary of both his tenure – and of his Liberal party.
In late June, Trudeau’s party lost a by-election for a seat the party had held for nearly three decades, foreshadowing what pundits say could portend the collapse of the party’s stronghold in Canada’s most populous city.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A Canadian prime minister who has outstayed his welcome, persistent inflation, a government bumped and bruised by scandal and a fired-up opposition leader itching for a public showdown.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Trudeau will not attend the Calgary Stampede which starts on Friday – the first time he will miss the festive, politically-charged 10-day celebration in the Conservative heartland since he became leader in 2013.
As in the US, where Democrats are fretting that Joe Biden’s stumbling debate performance and concern over his age, Liberals are worried the once-popular Trudeau could be a liability for heading into the next federal election.
Lori Turnbull, director of Dalhousie University’s school of public administration, says part of Trudeau’s challenges lie in the reality that all parties – and leaders – eventually lose their shine.
And the prime minister, who has led his Liberal party for more than a decade, has repeatedly said he wants to contest his fourth federal election – a national vote that is expected to be rife with mudslinging and personal attacks.
While the he told reporters Wednesday he was personally calling MPs, tensions are clearly mounting within the Liberals, and a growing number fear the unpopular leader could cost them their own seats in parliament.
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