Canada: Trudeau reshuffles his Cabinet today amid growing discontent and mounting pressure to resign

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been facing rising discontent over his leadership and increasing pressure to step down, will shuffle his Cabinet on Friday with expected changes to about a quarter of his senior team.

A report by Globe and Mail cited a senior government source, on condition of anonymity, confirming that the shuffle is expected to include more than 10 people, including the current slate of ministers and new additions from the Liberal backbench.

The shuffle became necessary after the surprise departure of Trudeau’s finance minister on Monday. Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned citing policy and political differences with the prime minister. Since then, at least 15 Liberal lawmakers have publicly called Trudeau to step down.

Amid this, Canada’s new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc claimed that Trudeau has the “full support of his Cabinet.”

On Thursday LeBlanc said he respects the views of Liberal lawmakers who want Trudeau to resign. “That’s a view they are expressing. The prime minister listened carefully when that view was expressed to him,” he said.

“Colleagues did what is the appropriate thing. They, in a caucus meeting, expressed those views directly to the Prime Minister himself. He listened, in some cases responded to specific things that were raised, and he said he would reflect carefully on what he’s heard. That’s how the process works," LeBlanc further said.

Trudeau, who has led the country for nearly a decade, has in recent years become widely unpopular over a wide range of issues, including the high cost of living and rising inflation.

There is no mechanism for Trudeau’s party to force him out in the short term. He could resign, or his Liberal party could be forced from power by a “no confidence” vote in Parliament that would trigger an election that would very likely favor the opposing Conservative Party.

Trudeau’s Liberals don’t hold an outright majority in the Parliament and therefore, they have for years depended on the support of the leftist New Democratic Party to pass legislation and stay in power. But that support has all but vanished and that might clear the way for Parliament to vote “no confidence.”

The Canadian Parliament is now shut for the holidays until late next month, and a “no confidence” vote could be scheduled sometime thereafter.

With inputs from agencies.