Ruby Dhalla, a Canadian politician of Indian origin, is making history by running for the leadership of the Liberal Party and potentially becoming Canada’s first woman of colour Prime Minister. Dhalla emphasised the importance of diversity within the party and in the country’s debates.

As a self-made businesswoman, doctor, and three-time Member of Parliament, Dhalla believes she has the experience to navigate Canada’s challenges. She identified the rising cost of housing, increasing crime rates, rising food prices, and the threat of US tariffs as key issues facing Canadians. “Given the tariff threats that Canada is facing, it will have a big impact on Canadian workers and on the Canadian economy”, Dhalla added.

Dhalla’s personal story is one of overcoming humble beginnings. Born in Winnipeg to immigrant parents, she achieved her Canadian dream through hard work and determination. She added that her life speaks volumes about the opportunities that exist in Canada. She also credited Pierre Trudeau, current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s father, for opening Canada’s doors to immigrants in the 1970s.

She said, “My mother came to Canada in 1972 and I have the opportunity to, through her wishes, through a lot of hard work, drive and determination, but also because of the great country that Canada is, to fulfill a Canadian dream.”

Regarding India-Canada relations, Dhalla stressed the importance of strengthening ties, given the large Indian diaspora in Canada. She believes Canada should explore partnerships with other countries, including India, to mitigate the impact of US tariffs.

Speaking in Hindi, she added, “Jitne bhi humare Canada main business log hain, workers hain, unko bhi ek opportunity milni chahiye ki wo baki deshon ke saath kaam kar sake”. (Workers and business people in Canada should also get an opportunity to work with other countries.)

Dhalla has been working with the Liberal Party since she was 14. Her leadership’s campaign focuses on rebuilding the Liberal Party and Canada. Her slogan, ‘Canada’s comeback starts now’ reflects her commitment to addressing the country’s challenges. In response to criticism from Pierre Poilievre regarding the Liberal Party’s damaging impact on the Canadian society and economy, Dhalla outlined her initiatives to address crime, housing and food prices, and taxation.

Finally, she aims to create a competitive economy that supports businesses, entrepreneurs, and young people. With her international experience, she hopes to restore Canada’s reputation on the world stage and build strong partnerships with other countries. She said, “It’s important that we bring Canada back to the country that was very respected on the world stage, that we work with other countries to ensure that we continue to build great partnerships and great relationships.”
 

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday (January 6, 2025) announced his decision to step down as Liberal leader but he will stay on in his post until the party has chosen a replacement.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit.

Mr. Trudeau came to power in 2015 after 10 years of Conservative Party rule, and had initially been hailed for returning the country to its liberal past. But the 53-year-old scion of one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers became deeply unpopular with voters in recent years over a range of issues, including the soaring cost of food and housing, and surging immigration.

The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada internationally. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods if the government does not stem what Trump calls a flow of migrants and drugs in the U.S. — even though far fewer of each crosses into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.

Canada is a major exporter of oil and natural gas to the U.S., which also relies on its northern neighbor for steel, aluminum and autos.

Trudeau has kept publicly mum in recent weeks, despite intensifying pressure for him to step down.

“His long silence following this political drama speaks volumes about the weakness of his current position,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

(With inputs from agencies)

Once a liberal icon who represented the values of the ‘cultural Left’, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, now in the last year of his third term, is mired in a crisis of unpopularity, dissension and defections from within his Liberal Party fold.

The embattled Mr. Trudeau has been in power for nearly a decade since November 2015, for three terms. Few Canadian Prime Ministers have survived to rule for four terms. But in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections — the latter called in September 2021 after Mr. Trudeau advised the country’s Governor General to dissolve parliament — the Liberal Party was reduced to leading a minority government.

In March 2022, Mr. Trudeau was able to retain power after the Liberals and the social-democratic New Democratic Party (NDP) agreed to a confidence and supply agreement, entailing NDP support in parliament tied to the Liberals backing the NDP agenda on welfare and taxes.

In the years since, Mr Trudeau’s popularity has plateaued. Recent approval ratings show that he enjoys barely 26% support compared with the 63% he had in the early days of his first tenure. Liberal Party leaders within his caucus have called for his resignation and earlier this month, a key Minister and someone widely considered to be his successor, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, resigned abruptly, calling Mr. Trudeau’s policies as “costly political gimmicks”.

Meanwhile, a resurgent Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, has steadily upped its popularity due to negative perceptions in the electorate about Mr. Trudeau’s governance. And the social democrats have been miffed too because of ideological differences with the Liberal Party.

In September, the NDP had ended its 2022 agreement but Mr. Trudeau survived three no-confidence motions called by the Conservative Party since then, as the NDP and the federalist Bloc Quebocois have been reluctant to vote alongside the conservatives.

Elections are supposed to be held in October 2025 but there is an increasing likelihood that the Liberal Party will seek a leadership change before that to mitigate the loss of support due to Mr. Trudeau’s unpopularity. The opposition in Canada apart, Mr. Trudeau has had to chart unsteady waters in Canada’s external affairs as well. The re-election of Donald Trump as the U.S. President and his open hostility to Mr. Trudeau, besides threats of tariffs on Canadian goods, is a major irritant.

Ties with India

Canada’s relations with India also took a nose-dive over allegations by Mr. Trudeau that Indian intelligence agencies were linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani separatist and Canadian citizen, even as the Indian government upped the ante over its concerns that Mr. Trudeau’s government was providing safe haven to Khalistani extremists. Mr. Trudeau was also confronted publicly by the Chinese President Xi Jinping for “leaking” discussions between the two sides on “Chinese interference” in Canada to the media.

How did things go so south for the “liberal darling” of the northern hemisphere?

Mr. Trudeau rode to power in Canada promising a liberal agenda and delivered on some issues that were dear to the “cultural Left”.

He acted on promises of instituting gender equality by appointing a Cabinet with 50% representation to women and appointing more women judges in Canada’s Supreme Court. Recreational marijuana’s sale and use was legalised in Canada in 2018. A carbon tax was introduced as Mr. Trudeau sought to implement climate-friendly policies — the Conservatives have vowed to remove this on coming to power. Child care agreements were implemented as was representation for and reconciliation with Indigenous people. The reforms on dental care, pharma care and a federal “anti-scab” (employers replacing striking workers) law were made possible due to the aforementioned support from the NDP.

But Mr. Trudeau’s image as a reformer reforms committed to liberalism had already been hurt because of a number of scandals. While he appointed an indigenous woman to the post of Justice Minister in Jody Wilson-Raybould in his first term, she resigned over alleged interference and threats from government officials to favour a firm embroiled in a corruption trial. In 2020, in his second term, Mr. Trudeau faced an ethics scandal involving a government contract for a charity that worked with his family members.

His current unpopularity is now tied to the problems related to the economy. Issues such as raging inflation, a housing crisis and opposition to immigration have led to a significant decline in opinion for Mr. Trudeau and the conservative party has benefited from this. With opinion polls pointing to a possible rout for the Liberal party if elections were held now, a number of his party colleagues have urged him to step down, none more prominent than Ms. Freeland. The NDP has also promised a no-confidence motion in the New Year and it remains to be seen if Mr. Trudeau can weather that storm as he has managed in his three terms.

His boyish looks and charm and the fact that he is the scion of the Trudeau family — father Pierre Trudeau served two terms (one abridged one) as Prime Minister in the late 1970s and early 1980s — helped him garner popular support when he embarked on its first term, calling himself a representative of the younger generation in Canada. Taking a leaf from the playbook of former U.S. President Barack Obama, Mr. Trudeau won a mandate at a time when liberalism was popular in the early 2010s in the Americas in particular.

Rise of populism

But with high inflation affecting people across Europe and North America and voters — particularly those from working class sections — turning toward right-wing populists who are avowedly opposed to free trade and the liberal international order, Mr. Trudeau finds himself as an anomaly. The phenomena of working class voters being wooed by the Right on issues such as immigration and “culture wars” is not unique to Canada as experiences of other Western democracies, including that of the U.S. shows.

Ms. Freeland characterised his efforts to win back voters such as a “two month sales holiday” and 250 Canadian dollars as rebate for workers as reckless policies but it also suggested a desperation by Mr. Trudeau to wean away detractors from working sections.

The manner he has attended festivals with Khalistani insignia and others glorifying extremists could also be seen as a way to pander to the influential Sikh community, but his rhetoric about Indian involvement in Nijjar’s murder reflects an intention to better his image as a “weak leader”.

With signs pointing to drastic Liberal losses, Mr. Trudeau could be persuaded to relinquish power to a colleague as elections beckon, akin to how Joe Biden withdrew from the Presidential race in the neighbouring country. But considering his record in his earlier tenure and how he addressed allegations against him, it is increasingly likely that he will try to portray himself as a defiant leader who will stay in power till the end of his term.

One way to do so would be to prorogue parliament and prevent any no-confidence motions till elections are scheduled in October. As things stand, no Liberal leader has the heft to close the gap between the Conservatives but Ms. Freeland’s resignation seems timed to push the party to find an alternative. Whether Mr. Trudeau will succeed in fending off this fresh challenge will be known quickly as 2025 beckons in Canada.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday (October 24, 2024) that he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election, dismissing a request by some party members to not run for a fourth term.

Mr. Trudeau met with his Liberal members of Parliament for three hours Wednesday (October 23, 2024), where he learned that more than 20 lawmakers from his party signed a letter asking him to step down before the next election.

He said there were “robust conversations” ongoing about the best way forward, but “that will happen with me as leader going into the next election.” No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.

Mr. Trudeau’s Cabinet Ministers have said he has the support of the vast majority of the 153 Liberal Party members of the House of Commons.

Sean Casey, one of the Liberal lawmakers who signed the letter asking Mr. Trudeau to step down, said he was disappointed Mr. Trudeau didn’t take the time to reflect but said he now considers the matter done and he’s moving on. Mr. Casey said Mr. Trudeau listened but wasn’t swayed.

“This was a decision he had every right to make and he made it,” Mr. Casey told reporters. “I did my job in voicing what I was hearing from constituents and now I have to direct my energy to winning my seat and not internal party matters. As far as I’m concerned it is closed.” The Liberals recently suffered upsets in special elections for seats representing two districts in Toronto and Montreal that the party has held for years, raising doubts about Mr. Trudeau’s leadership.

The federal election could come anytime between this fall and next October. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, as they don’t hold an outright majority themselves.

The leader of the opposition Bloc Québécois has said his party will work with the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party, of NDP, to bring down the Liberals and force an election if the government doesn’t boost pensions.

Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said pressure is building on Mr. Trudeau but that some of his unhappy lawmakers don’t have much power to force him out.

“Trudeau holds all the cards. It is up to him if he wants to stay. The Liberal Party revised its rules in 2016 so that the party leader is immune to any challenge to his leadership so long as he is prime minister,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Mr. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity after almost 10 years of Conservative Party rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the rising cost of living and other issues, including the country’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liberals trail the Conservatives by 38 per cent to 25 per cent in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
| Photo Credit: AP

Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Liberal Party asked the leader not to run for a fourth term, handing him one of the biggest tests of his political career.

A smiling Mr. Trudeau said Liberals are “strong and united” after meeting with Liberal members of Parliament for three hours. Three Liberals said they were among a total of 20 plus lawmakers from the party to have signed a letter asking Mr. Trudeau to step down before the next election. There are 153 Liberals in Canada’s House of Commons.

“He has to start listening, listening to the people,” said Ken McDonald, a Liberal Member of Parliament from Newfoundland who said he signed the letter, which has not been made public.

Mr. McDonald, who is not running again, said some of his colleagues who plan on running are nervous because of poor polling numbers. Also stating publicly that they had signed the letter were Wayne Long of New Brunswick and Sean Casey of Prince Edward Island.

Mr. Trudeau, who previously has said he plans to run again, didn’t take questions from reporters after the meeting. No Canadian prime minister has won four straight terms in over 100 years.

His Cabinet ministers have supported him publicly.

“There is what would you call some palace drama going on right now. And that takes us away from the number one job, which is focusing on Canadians,” said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, a Liberal Party member.

Not all Liberal members of Parliament came out in support of Mr. Trudeau.

“It’s the decision of the leader of the party as to whether he stays on as leader,” said Ontario Liberal lawmaker Yvan Baker said.

Charles Sousa, a Liberal member of Parliament for a suburban Toronto area, said Trudeau is reflecting. He said he didn’t sign the letter.

“Trudeau made it very clear that he feels he’s the right choice but he appreciates all of what is being said,” Mr. Sousa said. “I respect his decision, whatever that may be.”

Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals recently suffered upsets in special elections in two districts in Toronto and Montreal that the party has held for years, raising doubts about Trudeau’s leadership.

The federal election could come any time between this fall and October 2025. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament as they don’t have the majority of seats.

The opposition leader of the Bloc Québécois has said his party will work with the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party, of NDP, to bring the Liberals down and force an election if the government doesn’t boost pensions for seniors.

Mr. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity in 2015 after almost 10 years of Conservative rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the cost of living coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 38% to 25% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

“The situation of the Liberals in the opinion polls is likely to remain catastrophic. Unless something dramatic and unforeseen occurs, the electoral prospects of the Liberals with Justin Trudeau at the helm look bleak,” said Daniel Béland, a politics professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Mr. Trudeau’s legacy includes opening the doors wide to immigration. He also legalized cannabis and brought in a carbon tax intended to fight climate change.

“He saved the Liberals back in 2015 but, over time, he’s become a huge liability for them,” Mr. Béland said.

A view of the High Commission of India, in Ottawa, Canada.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada has welcomed India’s decision to resume some visa services in the country from October 26, saying the move was a “good sign” after “an anxious time” for many Canadians, amid a diplomatic row over the killing of a Sikh separatist.

India’s High Commission in Canada said on October 25 that the country’s officials will resume processing some types of visa applications for Canadians applying from across the country as well as abroad.

Also read | An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

The decision came a month after New Delhi suspended the services in Canada and for Canadian citizens worldwide as tensions flared between the two nations last month following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has rejected Mr. Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

On Wednesday afternoon, Immigration Minister Marc Miller called India’s move “a good sign” after “an anxious time” for his many Canadians.

“Our feeling is that a suspension should never have happened in the first place,” he was quoted as saying by CTV News.

He said the “really concerning diplomatic situation with India has created a lot of fear in a lot of communities.” Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan, who is also a Sikh, said the resumption of visa processing is good news, but wouldn’t speculate on what message New Delhi is trying to send.

“It’s good to see that they have resumed that. It would have been nice (if) they didn’t take it in the first place,” Mr. Sajjan told reporters.

He said it was important that Indians and Canadians can go back and forth when it comes to events such as weddings and funerals. He added that Ottawa is still seeking India’s help as police investigate the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India will resume services for entry visas, business visas, medical visas and conference visas.

Marilyne Guevremont, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) – the department that manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, told CBC News that GAC is aware of the Indian government’s “decision to resume certain categories of visa processing for Canadians.” “Canada and India share important people-to-people ties and India’s resumption of visa services will make it easier for families and businesses to travel between our countries,” Ms. Guevremont.

In a statement, the Canada-India Business Council said it was “a promising development” for trade relations. “It is also a positive sign that both governments have expressed their support for bilateral business and investments amidst these unusual times,” wrote council head Victor Thomas. The development came days after Canada pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India.

Before Mr. Trudeau’s announcement dramatically heightened tensions between Canada and India, New Delhi had publicly denounced protests by Sikh separatist groups outside its diplomatic missions in Canada, as well as posters that appeared to offer cash rewards in exchange for the home addresses of Indian diplomats. India formally called on Canada to better uphold its duty to protect foreign diplomats.

India had also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not respond to questions about India rejecting allegations made by him in Parliament about India’s involvement in the killing of a prominent Khalistani separatist leader.

Mr. Trudeau was in the United Nations Headquarters to attend the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

On September 20, he spoke at the Climate Ambition Summit, the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine and at the Global Carbon Pricing event at an especially constructed SDG Pavilion on the UN premises.

On two different occasions and venues within the UN premises, PTI posed a question to Mr. Trudeau about India rejecting his allegations but he did not respond and walked away, surrounded by his security detail.

India has strongly rejected Mr. Trudeau’s statement made in the Canadian Parliament and said “allegations of Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated.” Mr. Trudeau has made allegations in the Canadian Parliament of the involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

Nijjar was one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of ₹10 lakh on his head and was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.

Bilateral ties between India and Canada have been tense in recent months. Trade talks have been derailed and Canada just cancelled trade talks.

Amid the growing diplomatic row between the two countries, India on Wednesday advised all its citizens living in Canada and those contemplating travelling there to exercise “utmost caution” in view of growing anti-India activities and “politically-condoned” hate crimes in the North American country.

In a strongly-worded advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi referred to “threats” targeting Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community that oppose the “anti-India agenda”, and asked Indian nationals to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada which have seen such incidents.

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller sought to reassure Indian nationals on Wednesday that it is safe to travel to the country even as a leader of the Sikh separatist movement banned in India has announced plans for rallies in Canadian cities on Monday that seek the closing of New Delhi’s diplomatic missions here, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.