Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she hopes lawmakers in Ottawa will force an election “at the first available opportunity” after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plan to step down from his role once his Liberal party selects a new leader.
Amid growing opposition to his leadership from within his own party, Trudeau announced Monday morning that he will step down as prime minister and as Liberal leader “after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process.”
Trudeau added that Gov. Gen. Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament, arguing Parliament has been “paralyzed for months” and needs a new session.
“The Liberal Party has no such mandate from Canadians and they are putting their selfish political interests ahead of the Canadian people by paralyzing Parliament and suspending democracy for months while they fight a divisive internal leadership contest,” Smith said in a post on X.
“It is one of the most irresponsible and selfish acts of a government in Canadian history.”
Smith added that it is a “critical time” for Canada with Donald Trump threatening tariffs against the country as he prepares to begin a new term as U.S. president.
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Proroguing Parliament has only occurred a handful of times in recent Canadian history. Trudeau last asked for Parliament to be prorogued in 2020. Stephen Harper, who served as prime minister before Trudeau, asked for prorogations of Parliament twice during his time in power. Jean Chrétien asked for Parliament to be prorogued in 2002 when he was prime minister.
Between 2015 to 2019, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi spent time serving in Trudeau’s cabinet — first as infrastructure minister and later as natural resources minister.
Sohi’s office said he was unavailable for an interview regarding Trudeau’s announcement on Monday, but he did issue a statement about the development.
He thanked Trudeau for his service to Canada and noted the federal government’s “support for Edmonton through permanent transit funding, the Housing Accelerator Fund, and funding for our Yellowhead Trail and 50 Street and 82 Avenue grade separation.”
“(This) has helped support our city’s record growth,” Sohi’s statement read in part. “I am especially proud to have worked with him for the approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project which has helped open new markets for Alberta’s oil sector.
“As always, I am committed to working with all leaders at every level of government to serve Edmontonians, and I look forward to working with the next prime minister to continue Edmonton’s record housing growth, protect our affordability advantage, and keep our city safe.”
Lori Williams, a professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said there is still much that needs to be cleared up in terms of the process for the Liberals to select a new leader.
When asked about how important the selection of a new leader will be for Albertans, Williams said she believes the Liberals face significant challenges in Alberta.
“It may make a difference to a few Albertans, but the reality is I think this is a government that has reached its best-before date,” she said. “There’s a lot of anger in Alberta, and certainly a lot of messaging coming from the provincial government focused on how this (Liberal) government is not doing what is good for Alberta.
“So I think it’s going to be tough for anybody but a Conservative candidate in Alberta in the next federal election. That said there are pockets where there are possibilities for strong candidates for the Liberals or the NDP to retain or even pick up seats, but the vast majority of those seats are going to go to the Conservatives.
“I think it’s going to be an uphill climb for anyone.”
The West Block: U.S. tariff issue will be ‘a climbdown for Justin Trudeau’, says Alberta Premier
