SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
prime minister
'Trudeau Is Finished': Canadian Prime Minister Resigns After Support Collapses
"Conservatives are jumping at the opportunity to take from you and give more to CEOs," said the head of Canada's social democratic political party. "You will pay the price of Poilievre's cuts."
Jan 06, 2025
After nearly a decade leading the Canadian government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he will resign after his center-right Liberal Party selects a new leader—acquiescing to calls that he should make way for new leadership ahead of a federal election later this year.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said "I care deeply about this country and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interests of Canadians. And the fact is, despite best efforts to work through it, parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history." He also added that the country's parliament will be suspended until the end of March while a new leader is chosen.
Trudeau's announcement comes as he faces declining public opinion polling, President-elect Donald Trump's threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, and the departure of the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland less than a month ago.
In her strongly worded resignation letter in December, Freeland wrote that Trudeau had told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and that she and Trudeau had found themselves "at odds" over the best way forward for Canada.
"The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25% tariffs. We need to take that threat extremely serious. That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today," Freeland wrote. She also warned against "costly political gimmicks" that the country could "ill afford."
Freeland and Trudeau were reportedly in disagreement over some of the prime minister's proposed policies to tackle the country's cost-of-living crisis. The resignation was followed by calls from across the political spectrum for Trudeau to resign.
That is not the first time Trudeau has faced significant calls to step down in the past 6 months. In October, at a closed-door caucus meeting, Liberal Party members urged him to resign to avoid diminishing the party's chances in the next election.
Jagmeet Singh, the head of Canada's New Democratic Party—a social democratic political party that is to the left of the Liberals—reacted to Trudeau's resignation, writing "Justin Trudeau has let you down, over and over. He let you down on the cost of groceries. He let you down on fixing health care. It doesn't matter who leads the Liberals. They don't deserve another chance."
"Conservatives are jumping at the opportunity to take from you and give more to CEOs," he continued. "You will pay the price of [Conservative Party leader Pierre] Poilievre's cuts."
Polling shows that Poilievre, who has aligned himself with U.S. President-elect's far-right brand of politics,would likely win a majority government elections were held today.
MP Niki Ashton, an NDP lawmaker representing parts of Manitoba, also didn't mourn Trudeau's exit but warned about a Conservative government and the "anti-worker" agenda of Poilievre.
"Trudeau is finished," Ashton said, describing the Liberal leader as one "who only helped people when forced to by the NDP."
"But we know, Poilievre will be a disaster," she added. "We can't let that happen."
With Trudeau out, the Liberal Party must now select an interim leader, followed by.a leadership race to find a permanent replacement, which is expected to feature Freeland. A federal election must be held by October 20, 2025, but could be held sooner if a snap election is called.
Trump reacted to the news of Trudeau's resignation on Truth Social by saying that if Canada merged with the United States then the country would be free from tariffs, taxes would decrease, and it would be secure from what he claimed were threats from China and Russia. "Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!" he wrote.
Protests Erupt Across Pakistan After Former PM Imran Khan Arrested
"If you want to send me to jail, I am prepared for it," said the embattled politician just hour before he was taken into custody under heavy guard.
May 09, 2023
Supporters of Imran Khan took to the streets of Pakistan nationwide in angry protest Tuesday after the former Prime Minister was arrested on corruption and embezzlement charges—allegations the champion cricketer turned progressive politician has denied and says are politically motivated.
The protests erupted in various cities—including Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Lahore—clashed with police who used water cannons and tear gas in an effort to control the crowds.
In Islamabad for a scheduled court appearance over the allegations, Khan was taken into custody upon his arrival. Video footage showed him being taken away by a throng of police in riot gear and placed into an armored vehicle.
Imran Khan Arrested in Islamabadwww.youtube.com
According to the Washington Post:
Khan's arrest comes after days of mounting public dispute between the former prime minister, who was ousted from his office last year, the current government, and the country’s powerful military. Khan had recently accused a senior officer of having been part of an assassination attempt against him last year, which he narrowly survived.
The former prime minister's party said there were political motives behind the arrest linked to the current government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan's supporters say the government is acting undemocratically, having repeatedly sought to delay key regional votes this year after Khan performed above expectations in by-elections last October.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that Khan's arrest was "in accordance with the law” and ordered by National Accountability Bureau (NAB). "NAB is an independent institution and we have never tried to control it," Sanaullah explained.
In a video message filmed hours ahead of his arrival in Islamabad—and released by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party just prior to his arrest—Khan said he was prepared for whatever came next.
\u201c\u0622\u0626\u06cc \u0627\u06cc\u0633 \u067e\u06cc \u0622\u0631 \u06a9\u0648 \u0645\u06cc\u0631\u0627 \u062c\u0648\u0627\u0628 \u0627\u0648\u0631 \u0648\u06c1 \u062f\u0648 \u0628\u0646\u06cc\u0627\u062f\u06cc \u0648\u062c\u0648\u06c1\u0627\u062a \u062c\u0646 \u06a9\u06cc \u0628\u0646\u06cc\u0627\u062f \u067e\u0631 \u067e\u06cc \u0688\u06cc \u0627\u06cc\u0645 \u0627\u0648\u0631 \u0627\u0633 \u06a9\u06d2 \u0633\u0631\u067e\u0631\u0633\u062a \u0645\u062c\u06be\u06d2 \u06af\u0631\u0641\u062a\u0627\u0631 \u06a9\u0631\u0646\u06d2 \u06a9\u06cc \u06a9\u0648\u0634\u0634\u0648\u06ba \u0645\u06cc\u06ba \u0644\u06af\u06d2 \u06c1\u0648\u0626\u06d2 \u06c1\u06cc\u06ba: \n\u06f1\u06d4 \u0645\u062c\u06be\u06d2 \u0627\u0646\u062a\u062e\u0627\u0628\u06cc \u0645\u06c1\u0645 \u0686\u0644\u0627\u0646\u06d2 \u0633\u06d2 \u0631\u0648\u06a9\u0646\u06d2 \u06a9\u06cc\u0644\u0626\u06d2 \u06a9\u06cc\u0648\u0646\u06a9\u06c1 \u0627\u0646\u0634\u0627\u0621\u0627\u0644\u0644\u06c1 \u062c\u0628 \u0627\u0646\u062a\u062e\u0627\u0628\u0627\u062a \u06a9\u0627 \u0627\u0639\u0644\u0627\u0646 \u06c1\u0648\u06af\u0627 \u062a\u0648 \u0645\u06cc\u06ba \u062c\u0644\u0633\u06d2 \u0645\u0646\u0639\u0642\u062f \u06a9\u0631\u0648\u06ba \u06af\u0627\u06d4 \n\u06f2- \u067e\u06cc \u0688\u06cc \u0627\u06cc\u0645 \u062d\u06a9\u0648\u0645\u062a \u0627\u0648\u0631 \u0627\u0633 \u06a9\u06d2\u2026\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1683616655
Speaking in Urdu, Khan said the reasons behind his potential arrest were twofold. "One," he said, "to stop me from campaigning" when new elections are announced. And two, he added, "to restrain me from mobilizing the people for a vigorous mass movement in support of the Constitution," which he says has been violated by his political opponents and the ruling government.
"Come to me with warrants, my lawyers will be there," Kahn says in the video. "If you want to send me to jail, I am prepared for it."
Imran Khan, Fierce Critic of Trump and US-Led Wars, Declares Victory in Pakistani Elections
"As far as America is concerned, we want to work on a policy that is mutually beneficial. Not a one-way relationship. There needs to be balance."
Jul 26, 2018
This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
After running on vows to address Pakistan's widespread poverty, confront rampant corruption, and pursue a more "balanced" foreign policy with the nation's neighbors and the United States, the famous cricket-star-turned politician Imran Khan declared victory on Thursday as his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won a projected 120 of the 270 open seats in Pakistan's parliamentary elections.
"I say this in front of you today... we will run Pakistan in a way in which it has never been run before, deliver the kind of governance never delivered before," Khan declared in his victory speech.
\u201cOur policies is to lift our most poor. Our labourers, our farmers who don\u2019t even make enough money to feed their children properly. Majority of our children suffer from stunted growth. - @ImranKhanPTI \n#PrimeMinisterImranKhan\u201d— PTI (@PTI) 1532607177
\u201cAs far as America is concerned, we want to work on a policy that is mutually beneficial. Not a One way relationship. There needs to be balance. @ImranKhanPTI \n#PrimeMinisterImranKhan\u201d— PTI (@PTI) 1532608733
As the Guardiannotes, Khan is far from the "preferred prime minister for Pakistan's two traditional chief patrons, China and the U.S."
In an interview ahead of Pakistan's elections, Khan said the "way the United States has treated Pakistan as a doormat is not fair." Khan has long been a fierce critic of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and its deadly drone campaigns throughout the Middle East, once promising to "shoot down U.S. drones" if he is elected prime minister.
As Common Dreams reported, Khan has also been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently accused Pakistan of "lies and deceit" and cut off security aid.
In response, Khan ripped Trump for attempting to "humiliate and insult" his country and pressured Pakistani leadership to never again be used by the United States as a "gun for hire."
"We became a U.S. proxy for a war against the Soviet Union when it entered Afghanistan and we allowed the CIA to create, train, and arm Jihadi groups on our soil and a decade later we tried to eliminate them as terrorists on U.S. orders," Khan wrote in a letter in January. "The time has come to stand firm and give a strong response to the U.S."
Asked in a recent interview if he would meet with Trump if elected, Khan said he would--but added that it would be a "bitter pill" to swallow.
Most Popular
We cover the issues the corporate media never will.
Please support our journalism.