Everyone and their mother, or rather, anyone with a say in the political arena is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign. In a democratic society, elected leaders derive their right to govern from the will of the people, as expressed through free and fair elections. Elected via an electoral process where millions of Canadians participated, granted him and his party a mandate to govern. However, politicians demanding his resignation without consulting voters undermines this foundational principle, and both effectively and blatantly disregards the voices of his supporters. In doing so, it further diminishes the role of the electorate in shaping the country’s leadership.
Even the severely myopic can discern that despite prior in-party discontent, the call for resignation was fuelled further by the abrupt departure of finance minister, Chrystia Freeland. In her scathing resignation letter that was published on the day she was due to deliver an economic statement, Freeland cited disagreements with Trudeau, her long-time ally, on how to respond to the threat of tariffs from United States president-elect, Donald Trump. In her letter of resignation, the exiting Minister accused Trudeau of choosing “costly political gimmicks” over addressing the threat posed by Trump’s “aggressive economic nationalism.” In a later response to Freedland, the Prime Minister posted that her “behaviour was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada.”
The call for resignation of the Prime Minister, along with the feral cry of the opposition exposed the fact that it was not being done out of principle, but merely to seize political advantage. Calling for a change in leadership or changing leadership without direct input from the voters, will most certainly create a precedent where democratic accountability takes a back seat to partisan interests.
The conclusive check on the performance of a leader should emanate from the voters at the ballot box, and not from political pressure by a subset of power-hungry or vengeful individuals who may not represent the majority view. Plainly stated and loudly voiced–if Trudeau’s leadership is miserably failing, then the proper course of action is to let the voters decide. We must not sideline the electorate. Such actions can erode public trust and send a message that political elites, rather than the citizens, hold the ultimate power in determining leadership. The people who voted for the Prime Minister exercised their democratic right with the expectation that he would serve his full term, unless removed from office by established democratic mechanisms.
The new United States president-elect, who will be returning to the White House in January, has promised to impose a tax of 25% on imported Canadian goods unless the shared border is made more secure. According to economists, the tariffs could have a devastating effect on Canada’s economy.
Conclusively, while criticism of political leaders is a healthy part of democracy, calls for the resignation, especially of a Prime Minister, must be weighed against the mandate given by the voters. Any action that skips this democratic process runs the risk of sending the message that political power ultimately rests with politicians pursuing their own agendas, and not at the vote of the people.
Aluta continua. The struggle continues.
