Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would step down as the country’s leader, ending nearly 10 years in office that included a handful of public blunders and controversies.
“I intend to resign as the leader of the party, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust competitive process across the country,” Trudeau told reporters on Monday. “Last night I asked the leader of the Liberal Party to start that process. This country deserves the right choice at the next election and it became clear to me that if I have to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in the lead at that election.”
His resignation comes after pressure from his own party, the Liberal Party, over his handling of the economy and immigration.
Fox News Digital looked back at Trudeau’s years in office and compiled his five biggest mistakes that drew condemnation from Canadians and other nations.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday. (AP/Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Trudeau condemned for carrying ‘a black man more times than he can remember’
In 2019, Trudeau found himself in a scandal after photos of him wearing a black mask emerged in 2001. The prime minister said in an interview afterward that he could not give a definitive number on how many times he wore a black mask.
“Face darkening, regardless of context or circumstances, is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface,” he said in 2019.
“I should have realized it then, and I never should have.”
Justin Trudeau (Arlyn McAdorey/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
One photo from 2001 shows Trudeau at an Arabian Nights-themed gala in brownface. He also admitted to wearing blackface while singing the popular Jamaican song “Day-O” in high school. In another case, a video from the 1990s shows Trudeau in blackface. The prime minister said at the time that he couldn’t remember how many times he wore blackface or brownface, a comment that haunted him in the years that followed as right-wing lawmakers attacked Trudeau over his handling of the coronavirus in the 2020 era.
“I’m going to ask the prime minister, who I can remind you has seen black face in this House more times than he can remember, to apologize to the peaceful, patriotic Canadians out there right now,” Conservative MP Candice Bergen said of Trudeau in 2022 as she demanded an apology to protesters who spoke out against the country’s strict coronavirus regulations.
Police and protesters are pictured outside Parliament in Ottawa, Canada on February 18, 2022. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Trudeau attacks ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters while praising BLM
Canada has had one of the worst coronavirus cases mandates and requirements around the world, including mandatory vaccinations in federally regulated workplaces, closing businesses for months, and arresting citizens if they violated quarantine protocols.
In response to the blockades that disrupted the economy and daily life, Canadians staged multiple protests across the country in 2022. Known as the “Freedom Convoy,” thousands of 18-wheelers and other trucks traveled to the cities, as well as the Ambassador Bridge between Canada and Michigan, to protest the vaccine mandate.
Trudeau criticized the truck drivers and protesters for spreading “hateful rhetoric” while praising Black Lives Matter, which has been at the forefront of the “defund the police” protests that have rocked the US in 2020.
TRUDEAU CRIMES ‘FREEDOM CONVEY’ FOR ‘HATE-FILLED RHETORIC’, RATHER SUPPORTS BLM PROTESTERS
“I’ve attended protests and rallies in the past when I agreed with the cause, when I supported people who were voicing their concerns and issues. Black Lives Matter is a great example of that,” Trudeau said in 2022.
“But I also decided not to go anywhere near the protests that expressed hateful rhetoric, violence against fellow citizens and disrespect not only for science but for frontline health workers and, frankly, 90% of the truck drivers who were doing the right thing to keep Canadians safe, put food on our tables. Canadians know where i stand This is the moment for responsible leaders to think carefully about where they are and who they are,” he continued.
Local media reported that the Freedom Convoy protests were largely peaceful.
Pastor in prison, businesses shaken during COVID
Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski has been arrested, fined and imprisoned several times for breach of lockdown measures during the pandemic, which drew fierce condemnation from Christians and others around the world.
In one viral video from 2021, police in Alberta arrested and charged Pawlowski with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering” during Holy Week leading up to Easter.
“Shame on you, this is not Communist China. Don’t you have a family and children? Whatever happened to ‘Canada, God save our land glorious and free’?” Pawlowski told the officers who arrested him.
Amidst his legal battles, Pawlowski has been heavily critical of Trudeau over his arrests.
CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST CANADIAN PASTORS WHO HOLD SERVICES DURING PANDEMIC: ‘Pleasantly Surprised’
“I’m a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to pray however I see fit, free to stand up for what I believe is right,” Pawlowski told Fox Digital in 2023. “Should we throw it all away and move to Saudi Arabia I think we would Justin Trudeau fit him perfectly, enjoy.”
Restaurants and other business owners in the country have been rattled by the closing orders, including some businesses that defied the mandates and opened their doors during the pandemic.
in Toronto, one restaurant owner was seen handcuffed by police for defying 2020 orders, while other business owners have sued their government for imposing mandates on businesses during the pandemic.
A report released in 2023 showed an increase in the number of restaurants filing for bankruptcy as they dealt with the “post-pandemic hangover phase,” CBC reported at the time.
Trudeau admonishes American voters for not electing a woman president
Trudeau, describing himself as a “proud feminist,” warned American voters about the choice of President-elect Donald Trump after his decisive victory over Vice President Harris in November.
“We should have been on a steady, if difficult, path to progress,” Trudeau said in December. “And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for the second time not to elect its first woman president.”
“Everywhere women’s rights and women’s progress are under attack, overtly and subtly,” Trudeau continued. “I want you to know that I am, and always will be, a proud feminist. You will always have an ally in me and in my government.”
The remarks followed Trudeau’s meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Trump reportedly suggested to Trudeau during the meeting that Canada become the 51st country and has publicly referred to Canada as such ever since.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau honor Yaroslav Hunka, who was present and fought in the First Ukrainian Division in World War II before later immigrating to Canada, in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa 9/22/2023 (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP)
Trudeau apologizes for honoring Nazi veteran
Canada’s parliament came under fire in 2023 when members gave a standing ovation to a man who had fought on the side of the Nazis. Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were present in parliament when the man, 99-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, received a standing ovation.
CANADA UNDER FIRE FOR APPLAUSEING A ‘LITERAL NAZI’ IN PARLIAMENT DURING ZELENSK’S VISIT
Hunka, a Canadian of Ukrainian descent who fought in the SS Division of Galicia for the Nazis, was invited to parliament to attend Zelenskiy’s address to government officials. Members of Parliament from political parties on both sides of the aisle stood and applauded Hunka for his military service before news broke that he had fought on behalf of Nazi Germany.
Trudeau apologized for the inconvenience, while the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons stepped down over the Hunki call.
“This is a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada,” Trudeau said at the time.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“All of us who were in this House on Friday deeply regret that we stood and applauded even though we did so without being aware of the context,” he added. “It was a terrible violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust.”
