MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has announced that he is resigning, capping almost a decade in power.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The 53-year-old faced calls from all corners of the country to step down over his handling of the economy, immigration and other issues. Now, it's a far cry from 2015, when he was first elected in a landslide.
MARTIN: NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam has been following Trudeau's rise and fall over the years, and she's with us now to tell us more about it. Good morning, Jackie.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: Jackie, there have been calls for months now for Trudeau to resign, even from members of his own Liberal Party. What happened?
NORTHAM: Well, momentum had been building for some time for him to step aside. His poll numbers - and the party's - are in the low 20s. A couple of weeks ago, Chrystia Freeland, who was both his deputy prime minister and finance minister, resigned. And she had been a key, steadfast ally for Trudeau. And, frankly, he faced a no-confidence vote. And it was pretty clear he was going to lose that, and he likely wanted to get ahead of it, so he announced his resignation.
MARTIN: This is quite a fall for somebody who, you know, more than nine years ago, had a landslide victory during his first run as prime minister. Just tell us more about him.
NORTHAM: Well, you're right. I mean, he won by a landslide. You know, he had - or has - matinee idol looks. He was tall, athletic. His face graced the covers of magazines around the world. And he just energized the 2015 elections, and he had brought appeal for voters - especially young voters. It was the same type of popularity that his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, had. And he was twice prime minister, and he was also a charismatic figure. Justin Trudeau also promoted social causes such as gender equality, and there was an equal number of women and men in his first cabinet. Also more taxes on the wealthy, more effort to protect the environment.
MARTIN: So a progressive agenda that the public seemed to embrace at the time that he was elected - and seemed to warmly embrace it. What happened? Why has he become so unpopular?
NORTHAM: Well, within a few years of first being elected, it was pretty clear that the honeymoon was over. There were scandals, resignations in his cabinet. Now, he did get good marks for his handling of the COVID pandemic, but, you know, the country never really seemed to rebound. And Canada now is experiencing many of the issues that we see here in the U.S. - high inflation, housing shortages. I spoke with Nik Nanos with Nanos Research, which is a leading polling firm based in Ottawa. And he said that there was also a backlash against immigration. Here he is.
NIK NANOS: Although Canadians are supportive of immigrants, they were not supportive of the level of immigration that the Liberals had, and this created a significant stress on the housing market. It put significant stress on the health care, education.
NORTHAM: And, you know, Michel, all of these issues came together and affected Trudeau's popularity.
MARTIN: And this decision to resign comes just as President-elect Donald Trump is due to head back to the White House in the U.S. The two leaders have not had the best relationship. So what is the next Canadian leader going to have to deal with?
NORTHAM: Well, you're right. It's never been an easy relationship between the two leaders. And since the presidential election, Trump has been needling Trudeau, suggesting Canada become the 51st state and calling Trudeau a governor rather than a prime minister. And, more importantly, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on many Canadian products. Now, Trudeau will still have to deal with Trump, as he's staying on as prime minister until the Liberal Party chooses a new leader. But it's quite likely that Trump will be dealing with someone from the Conservative Party after that.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Jackie Northam. Jackie, thank you.
NORTHAM: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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