Following the resignation of Justin Trudeau as the prime minister, Canada marked the end of 10 years of the Trudeau administration.
In the last few years of Trudeau's leadership, the Liberal leader saw many ups and downs, including a diplomatic fallout with India due to the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. From his first Liberal victory to his tearful resignation in January 2025, here's a look at Justin Trudeau's tenure as Prime Minister.
Following the resignation of Justin Trudeau as the prime minister, Canada marked the end of 10 years of the Trudeau administration.
Trudeau, who once emerged as the leader Canada yearned for, ultimately had to step down after a mass voter fatigue and anger.
In the last few years of Trudeau's leadership, the Liberal leader saw many ups and downs, including a diplomatic fallout with India due to the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
From his first Liberal victory to his tearful resignation in January 2025, here's a look at Justin Trudeau's tenure as Prime Minister.
In October 2013, Justin Trudeau, the son of former Prime Minister and Liberal leader Pierre Trudeau, was chosen as the leader of the party. This decision came as the Liberal Party was at an all-time low.
By 2013, the Liberal Party had been out of power for over seven years and had been reduced to the third-largest party in the House of Commons.
With Trudeau as its leader, the Liberal Party made its way to the forefront of the federal elections. With this, the Liberals also became the first ever third-placed party to win a general election in Canada.
Two Years after taking over as PM, Canada's ethics commissioner ruled that Trudeau had broken conflict-of-interest rules by accepting gifts, vacations and flights from Aga Khan in 2016.
In 2019, Trudeau was once again found guilty of breaking the conflict-of-interest law by pressuring his former attorney general to help SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. with an out-of-court settlement for corruption charges.
This ruling against Trudeau came months before the 2019 federal elections. While Trudeau took responsibility for the scandal, he did not apologise.
After the election campaign began, a video of Trudeau wearing blackface when he was younger went viral. Blackface refers to the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment.
Following the viral video, Trudeau apologised and stated that his life with privilege came with a "blind spot."
Trudeau managed to secure a second term as the prime minister. However, the Liberals came back as a minority in the House Of Commons, prompting them to strike deals with opposition parties and form an alliance.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the resignation of Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Justin Trudeau called for a national vote on September 20, 2021.
As per reports, Trudeau took a major gamble and called for an early vote, citing that he needed a new mandate to ensure voters were happy with the Liberal government's plan to recover from the pandemic.
Trudeau called for a snap vote and bet on a high vaccination rate and economic rebound after COVID-19.
Justin Trudeau managed to secure a third term for the Liberals, but despite this win, the party returned as a minority government. Due to the liberals running short of seats, it went into a supply-and-confidence deal with the New Democratic Party and leader Jagmeet Singh.
By 2023, the Liberal Party began to lose popularity amongst Canadians. By July 2023, the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, had taken the lead, showing signs of voter fatigue among Liberal voters.
With the housing and immigration crisis on the rise, the gap between Conservatives and Liberals widened, hinting at a clear defeat for Trudeau in 2025.
In September 2023, days after the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of playing a role in the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In the House of Commons, Trudeau claimed to have "credible allegations" pointing to India's involvement in Nijjar's killing.
The accusation prompted a quick downgrade of ties between India and Canada, starting with the suspension of visas and reduction of diplomatic missions on both sides.
In the special elections, Liberals went on to lose a safe seat, Toronto. With this loss, many liberal leaders began to question Trudeau's leadership and calls for his resignation grew.
The New Democratic party, led by Jagmeet Singh, withdrew its support for the Liberal Party and suspended its supply-and-confidence deal with Trudeau. This took the Liberal Party back to the status of a minority government.
In October 2024, the Indian government issued a statement, accusing the Trudeau government of naming Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, and five other diplomats as persons of interest in the Nijjar murder case. As per Canadian media, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called for the removal of diplomatic immunity for the officials and their cooperation in the investigation. After India refused, the six diplomats were asked to leave.
However, as per the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India stated it pulled out its diplomats due to safety concerns and, in-turn, officially downgraded its ties with Canada. Furthermore, India also expelled six Canadian diplomats, including High Commissioner Cameron Mackay.
Over in the United States, Donald Trump secured a landslide victory and just issued his first warning of tariffs against Mexico and Canada. Trump warned Canada of 25 percent tariffs on all products imported to the US.
During his, Trump also made several jibes towards Canada's export-dependent economy and suggested that Canada and "governor" Justin Trudeau should join as the 51st state of the United States.
Trudeau's Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation in wake of Trump's tariff threats. Freeland was seen as one of the most loyal allies Trudeau had in the past decade of his leadership.
As per her resignation letter on X, Freeland cited clashes with Trudeau over spending and how to handle possible US tariffs.
Under growing pressure from his own party, Justin Trudeau held a press conference outside his official residence and announced his resignation.
Trudeau stated that he would stay in office until the Liberal Party picked its new successor.
"This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," said Trudeau as he bid a tearful goodbye as PM.
After Trudeau's announcement, the Liberals announced Mark Carney as their next leader. With Carney now serving as PM, the Liberals are believed to have an upper hand for the 2025 elections.