In the nine years since he became Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau has been hailed not only as the savior of the country’s Liberal Party but more broadly as the glamorous beacon of Western liberalism. Or so it was until yesterday, when, in front of his official residence in Ottawa, Canada’s prime minister announced he was stepping down.
The question is what happened—and who’s to blame.
To hear Trudeau tell it, the problem is squabbling within the ranks of his own Liberal-led minority government: “If I’m having to fight internal battles,” he said yesterday, “I cannot be the best option in that election.” And to be sure, the precipitating event for this crisis was last month’s surprise resignation of Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s top deputy and finance minister.
But the problem with Trudeau’s government is not the name at the top of the ticket. The problem is bad ideas, strongly held.