A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Justin Trudeau's life and career.
Justin Trudeau is the 23rd and current Prime Minister of Canada, holding office since 2015. He is also the leader of the Liberal Party, a position he has held since 2013. Trudeau's tenure as Prime Minister has been marked by a focus on social justice issues, including the legalization of cannabis and investments in social programs. His government has also addressed issues such as climate change and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Trudeau is the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
2005: Fought Against Proposed Zinc Mine
In 2005, Justin Trudeau fought against a proposed $100-million zinc mine that he argued would poison the Nahanni River, a United Nations World Heritage Site located in the Northwest Territories.
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2006: Riding of Papineau Falls to Bloc Québécois
In 2006, the riding of Papineau, which had been in Liberal hands for 53 years, fell to the Bloc Québécois.
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2009: Canada Previously Failed UN Security Council Bid
In 2009, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada also failed an attempt to join the UN Security Council.
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August 18, 2014: Home break-in
On August 18, 2014, Trudeau's house was broken into while his wife and children were sleeping, and a threatening note was left. Nothing was stolen.
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November 2016: Criticism for Fundraising Tactics
In November 2016, Justin Trudeau faced criticism for his fundraising tactics, seen as "cash for access" schemes where attendees paid for access to him and cabinet members.
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January 2017: Ethics Investigation into Bahamas Vacation
In January 2017, the ethics commissioner initiated an investigation into Trudeau's family vacation to Aga Khan IV's private island in the Bahamas.
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December 2017: Ethics Commissioner Finds Trudeau Violated Conflict of Interest Act
In December 2017, the ethics commissioner's report concluded that Trudeau violated four provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act regarding his Bahamas vacation.
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February 2018: Invitation to Khalistani Nationalist Sparks Criticism
In February 2018, Justin Trudeau faced criticism after his government invited Khalistani nationalist Jaspal Atwal to a dinner party in Delhi.
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2018: Saudi Arabia recalls ambassador and freezes trade
In 2018, Saudi Arabia recalled its Canadian ambassador and froze trade with Canada in response to Canada's call for the Saudis to release opposition blogger Raif Badawi.
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February 8, 2019: Allegations of Interference in SNC-Lavalin Prosecution
On February 8, 2019, The Globe and Mail reported that the Prime Minister's Office allegedly attempted to influence Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould regarding the SNC-Lavalin prosecution.
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March 19, 2019: Justice Committee Investigation Shut Down
On March 19, 2019, Liberal committee members voted to shut down the Justice Committee's investigation into the SNC-Lavalin affair.
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August 14, 2019: Ethics Commissioner Report on SNC-Lavalin Affair
On August 14, 2019, the ethics commissioner's report concluded that Justin Trudeau contravened section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act in regards to the SNC-Lavalin affair.
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2019: Reports of Chinese Interference in 2019 and 2021 Elections
In 2019, Canadian media reported that the People's Republic of China had attempted to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections.
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2019: Liberal Party Reduced to Minority Government
In the 2019 federal election, Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party was reduced to a minority government.
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April 2020: Introduction of Economic Aid Programs
In April 2020, Trudeau introduced several economic aid programs, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Business Account, and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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May 12, 2020: Exclusive Deal with CanSino Biologics
On May 12, 2020, the Trudeau government announced it had reached an exclusive deal with CanSino Biologics for COVID-19 vaccines; however, the deal later fell through due to deteriorating Canadian-Chinese relations.
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July 3, 2020: Ethics Investigation into WE Charity Decision
On July 3, 2020, the ethics commissioner announced an investigation into Justin Trudeau's decision to have WE Charity administer a summer student-grant program.
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July 16, 2020: Ethics Investigation Expanded to Include Bill Morneau
On July 16, 2020, the ethics commissioner expanded the investigation into the WE Charity affair to include Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
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2020: COVID-19 Second Wave
In 2020, Canada experienced a strong second wave of COVID-19 cases.
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2020: Canada Loses Bid for UN Security Council Seat
In 2020, Canada lost its bid to join the United Nations Security Council.
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2020: Economic Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Canada's economy. While the Trudeau government had been reducing Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio every year until then, the pandemic disrupted this trend.
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September 2021: Phasing Out Federal Aid Programs
The 2021 Canadian federal budget planned to phase out federal aid programs by the end of September 2021, projecting a $354.2-billion deficit in the 2020–21 fiscal year.
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December 2021: Expansion of Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit
During the spread of the Omicron variant in December 2021, the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit was expanded to replace the CBR.
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2021: Reports of Chinese Interference in 2019 and 2021 Elections
In 2021, Canadian media reported that the People's Republic of China had attempted to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections.
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2021: Declining Poll Numbers and Discontent with Trudeau's Leadership
Since the 2021 federal election, the Liberals have faced declining poll numbers and disappointing by-election results, leading to media stories about internal frustration with Justin Trudeau's leadership.
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February 14, 2022: Invocation of the Emergencies Act
On February 14, 2022, Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time since 1988 in response to the public order emergency caused by the Freedom Convoy demonstrations in Ottawa.
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February 23, 2022: Revocation of Emergency Declaration
On February 23, 2022, Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government would revoke the emergency declaration related to the Freedom Convoy protests.
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2022: Reports of Chinese Interference in 2019 and 2021 Elections
In 2022, Canadian media reported that the People's Republic of China had attempted to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections.
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2022: Emergencies Act Invoked and Sanctions Imposed on Russia
In 2022, Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy protests. Also in 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctions were imposed on Russia and military aid was authorized for Ukraine.
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2022: RCMP considered Criminal Charges
In 2022, it was reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police considered bringing criminal charges against Trudeau over the Aga Khan affair.
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February 17, 2023: Judicial Inquiry Supports Use of Emergencies Act
On February 17, 2023, a judicial inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act concluded that the Trudeau government met the legal threshold required to invoke the act during the Freedom Convoy protests.
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March 2023: Closure of Roxham Road
In March 2023, Roxham Road was closed due to increased strain on services in Quebec and Ontario from irregular border crossings, influenced by the new terms of the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement.
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May 2023: Report on Election Interference
In May 2023, David Johnston delivered a report describing China's interference as a danger to Canadian democracy and made recommendations for improvement.
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September 2023: Housing Prices Stated as 'Far Too High'
In September 2023, Justin Trudeau acknowledged that housing prices were "far too high", amidst increasing concerns about housing affordability in Canada.
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September 2023: Allegations of Indian Government Involvement in Nijjar Killing
In September 2023, Justin Trudeau stated that the Canadian government had credible intelligence suggesting the Indian government was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.
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2023: Reports of Chinese Interference in 2019 and 2021 Elections
In 2023, Canadian media reported that the People's Republic of China had attempted to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections.
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2023: Government Economic Statement Shows Large Deficit
In 2023, the government's economic statement showed a deficit of $61.9 billion, exceeding the previous target.
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May 2024: Housing Value Statement
In May 2024, during an interview with The Globe and Mail, Justin Trudeau stated that "housing needs to retain its value,", amid Canada's growing housing crisis.
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May 2024: Preliminary Report on Foreign Interference
In May 2024, the public inquiry issued its preliminary report, finding that China engaged in foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but it did not affect the outcome.
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June 2024: Appeal of Emergencies Act Ruling Planned
As of June 2024, the federal government planned to appeal the ruling that the invocation of the Emergencies Act to end the 2022 convoy protest was "not justified."
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September 2024: NDP Pulled Support, Ending Confidence and Supply Agreement
In September 2024, the NDP pulled their support and ended the confidence and supply agreement with the Liberal Party.
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September 19, 2024: Rodriguez Resigns to Run for Quebec Liberal Leadership
On September 19, 2024, Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez resigned to run for leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
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November 20, 2024: Boissonnault Resigns Following Allegations
On November 20, 2024, Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault resigned following allegations that he ran a business seeking federal contracts and falsely claimed to be Indigenous.
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December 15, 2024: Fraser Announces Intent to Leave Cabinet
On December 15, 2024, Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced his intention to leave the federal cabinet in the next shuffle, citing family reasons.
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December 2024: Approval Rating Decline
In December 2024, Trudeau's approval rating dropped to 22%, a significant decline from 65% in September 2016, reflecting growing unpopularity amidst the housing crisis and other issues.
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December 2024: Resignation of Chrystia Freeland
In December 2024, deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland suddenly resigned, leading to a political crisis.
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December 16, 2024: Chrystia Freeland Resigns as Deputy Prime Minister
On December 16, 2024, Chrystia Freeland resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, citing a lack of confidence from Trudeau.
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December 20, 2024: NDP Leader Pledged to Put Forward No-Confidence Motion
On December 20, 2024, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pledged to put forward another no-confidence motion and vote out Trudeau's government.
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2024: Increased Food Bank Usage
In 2024, food bank usage in Canada reached an all-time high, with more working people than ever relying on food banks, amidst global food crises.
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