Trudeau’s exit desperate attempt to sweep decade of catastrophic leadership failure under the rug

As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he will be stepping down after nearly a decade in power, the cameras caught a glare of watery eyes — a fleeting moment that offered no apologies, no remorse, and no acknowledgment of the catastrophic failures he was leaving behind.

His tearful speech was a performance, a calculated exit designed to mask the truth behind a legacy that has shredded Canada's reputation both domestically and internationally.

"I cannot be the leader during the next elections due to internal battles," he said, yet there was no hint of regret for the chaos he and his party have wrought. His resignation, far from an act of accountability, is simply a way to fade into the background, as if stepping down could erase the damage done.

But as Trudeau walks away from the throne, the real problem lies not in his departure but in the Liberal Party’s utter refusal to reckon with the devastation they have caused.

The elephant in the room is clear: the Liberal Party, under Trudeau's disastrous reign, has become a hollow shell of its former self, a party more concerned with its own survival than with the well-being of the Canadian people.

The Liberal Party of Canada has spent years falsely posing as a beacon of progressive ideals. Under Trudeau, it was supposed to be a force for environmental change, social justice, and economic fairness. Yet, when the time came to translate those ideals into action, the party faltered.

Trudeau's policies, which were supposed to lift the country into a new era of prosperity, have instead driven Canada into a downward spiral of economic instability, housing crisis, and soaring crime rates.

Housing costs, the centrepiece of Trudeau's promise to help Canadians, have become an albatross around the neck of the average citizen. While the political elite continues to live in insulated luxury, Canadians from coast to coast are locked out of the housing market, watching as their dreams of homeownership slip further away.

Meanwhile, Trudeau's carbon tax, hailed as a key part of his green agenda, has burdened struggling families with ever-higher costs for basic necessities. It has done little for the environment but has stifled the very people it was supposed to help. And as if that weren’t enough, Trudeau’s spending spree — marked by reckless debt accumulation — has left the Canadian economy on the brink of collapse.

Yet through all this, the Liberal Party has refused to change course. Trudeau may leave, but his party's deep-rooted dysfunction will remain. The party's ideological straitjacket has made it impossible to acknowledge the need for real, pragmatic solutions. Instead, they have chosen to push their mistakes under the rug and hope Canadians forget the damage done.

The resignation of Justin Trudeau is not a graceful exit — it is a desperate attempt to escape the consequences of a decade of disastrous leadership. His tearful farewell, devoid of genuine apology or contrition, speaks volumes about his political character. Rather than confront the failure of his policies, Trudeau has chosen to flee the battlefield, hoping that his departure will allow his legacy to fade quietly into the background. But the truth is that Trudeau’s departure will not erase the toxic trail he leaves behind. His time in office has left a stain on Canada’s international standing, one that cannot be wiped away with a mere exit speech.

His foreign policy blunders have not only alienated key allies but have also severely damaged Canada's reputation on the global stage. Trudeau's inexplicable support for the Khalistani separatist movement, while simultaneously attempting to maintain diplomatic relations with India, is a case study in political incoherence. His actions have only served to deepen the rift between Canada and one of its most important international partners. The rupture in relations with India — fueled by Trudeau’s stubbornness and failure to act in Canada’s best interest — has been compounded by growing tensions with Saudi Arabia, a key player in global oil markets.

Under Trudeau, Canada has become a diplomatic pariah, a country whose foreign policy is marked more by ideological posturing than by strategic thought.

Trudeau’s biggest political failure lies not in foreign relations but in his alliance with Jagmeet Singh and the NDP. This unholy pact has enabled Trudeau to push through policies that have driven Canada to the brink — policies that have prioritised the whims of the ideological left over the real needs of Canadian citizens. The NDP's support of the carbon tax, among other misguided policies, has left the working class reeling, unable to make ends meet as they grapple with rising costs and stagnant wages.

As Trudeau steps aside, the Liberal Party is left in a state of disarray. The leadership contest to replace him is less about rebuilding Canada and more about securing the political future of those who helped drive the country into chaos.

The race for the leadership is nothing more than a power struggle between those who have spent years enabling Trudeau’s disastrous policies. Rather than a moment of reckoning, the leadership contest is just another attempt to sweep the party’s failings under the rug.

The internal divisions within the Liberal Party are apparent for all to see. Instead of focusing on the issues that matter to Canadians — housing, crime, inflation — the party’s leadership contenders are preoccupied with securing their own fiefdoms. They continue to act as if the Canadian people will forget the damage done by Trudeau and his party. But the electorate is not so easily fooled.

Trudeau's carbon tax, far from being the green panacea he promised, has turned into a political and economic disaster. While Trudeau touted the tax as a means to reduce emissions and combat climate change, the reality has been far different.

For most Canadians, the carbon tax has meant nothing but higher prices at the gas pump and skyrocketing grocery bills. Yet Trudeau’s party, unwilling to admit fault, continues to stand by this policy. Even as families struggle to make ends meet, the Liberals remain committed to a tax that is doing nothing to help the environment but everything to hurt the pocketbooks of ordinary Canadians. The failure of the carbon tax is emblematic of the Liberal Party’s broader policy failures.

Under Trudeau, the party has become a caricature of progressive ideals, more concerned with ideological purity than with practical solutions.

As Trudeau leaves, the question remains: will the next Liberal leader continue down the same failed path, or will they have the courage to confront the mistakes of the past?

Trust in the Liberal Party has eroded to the point of no return. Trudeau’s resignation is a last-ditch attempt to salvage what is left of the party’s credibility. But the damage is done. The Liberal Party, once the natural governing force of Canada, has become a symbol of political failure. The party’s refusal to reckon with its mistakes — whether in housing, crime, immigration, or foreign relations — has alienated a large segment of the electorate.

Trudeau’s departure will not restore that trust; it will only serve as a reminder of the incompetence and arrogance that have characterised the party’s time in power.

The resignation of Justin Trudeau marks the end of an era — but it does not mark the beginning of a new one. Canada deserves better than a political establishment that is more concerned with its own survival than with the needs of the people it claims to serve. As the Liberal Party retreats into internal squabbles and power struggles, Canada must look elsewhere for leadership — leadership that is capable of addressing the real issues facing the nation and restoring trust in government.

Trudeau may have stepped down, but his legacy will linger long after he is gone. The Liberal Party must reckon with its past if it is to have any hope of moving forward. Otherwise, it will remain the elephant in the room, a symbol of a political establishment that has failed the Canadian people.

(Rahul Pawa is an international criminal lawyer and Director of Research at the New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies. The views expressed in this article are the author's own)

Source: IANS