Trudeau on edge as ally, Finance Minister suddenly resigns over Trump’s tariff threats

Disagreement for weeks between President-elect Trump Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued late Monday after the northern neighbor of the United States witnessed the sudden departure of its finance minister.

The surprise resignation of Chrystia Freeland, a longtime Trudeau ally who also served as deputy prime minister, sparked renewed speculation that the prime minister is losing his grip. Trump wasted no time in landing another jab, once again referring to Trudeau as “governor” and Canada as “country.”

“The great state of Canada is shocked to see its Finance Minister resign or be removed from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau,” Trump said in a social media post late Monday. “Her behavior was absolutely toxic, and was not conducive at all to making good deals for very unhappy Canadian citizens.”

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Freeland, who worked with the previous Trump administration in securing the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), criticized Trudeau’s handling of Trump’s tariff threats and accused him of playing “costly political tricks” in a scathing letter. BBC reported.

The former finance minister called Trump’s threats “aggressive economic nationalism” and appeared to urge Trudeau to show more force when dealing with the next president — a position Mexico is said to be preparing to take.

Last month, Trump promised a slap Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff The impact on imports if the border is not better secured has not only worried some economists, but renewed questions about how to deal with the soon-to-be US president.

This question has been rising not only among America’s neighbors, but also among many in the international community, as geopolitical concerns mount amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.

But Trudeau is said to be facing increasing criticism at home from his own party, and after nearly a decade in the top seat, he is beginning to see all-time lows in his approval ratings, which fell to 28% in June from 63%. The approval he saw when he first took office, according to the BBC.

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Freeland’s departure leaves Trudeau’s Liberal Party reeling amid an already difficult period as the party lost control of a third seat to Conservative rivals after Monday’s federal byelection, and as the prime minister faces mounting calls for his resignation.

Trump transition teamTrudeau and Freeland’s offices did not respond to questions from Fox News Digital.

But according to the leader of the United Conservative Party of Canada, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith told Fox Business correspondent Edward Lawrence that Freeman’s resignation caught everyone by surprise.

“It’s very surprising because, of course, she was at the head of our negotiations with the United States. We are doing everything we can to avoid applying 25% tariffs to Canadian goods and hurting American consumers,” Smith said. He argued that tariffs would hurt not only the Canadian economy but American pocketbooks.

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“I think everyone is really worried,” she said. “I don’t think any economy will be able to survive for very long with 25% tariffs across the board. But I can tell you I’m also worried about American consumers.

“I know that with energy being one of our big exports, imposing a tariff of this type on oil and gas exports below a dollar on the price of gasoline at the pump would increase the price of energy for those who get their electricity from,” Smith continued. .. Their Canadian counterparts.” “I think we have such an integrated economy that we have more to talk about about how we can mutually benefit from trade. “And I think it’s up to us to make sure Americans know that.”