Justin Trudeau May Stay as Canada PM for Months
Canada PM Justin Trudeau with US ambassador David L Cohen Image credit X.com @JustinTrudeau
Trudeau’s Successor Selection Process May Take Months
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, January 8: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may stay in office for months as the The Liberal party may take months to select successor. Opposition can vote out his government not before April this year.
Trudeau announced his decision to resign once his successor is found. At least five probable successors have hogged the limelight, including Indian-origin Anita Anand, who is a minister for transport in Canada.
Trudeau in his press statement said that he hopes for a “a robust, nationwide, and competitive process” to select the next leader of the Liberal Party. Trudeau had emerged the leader of the same process that had lasted five months.
Amid Trudeau’s announcement to step down, the Liberal Party leaders have begun spotlighting foreign interference in the elections in Canada with fingers pointed at India and China. The Liberal Party leaders are seeking reform in the eligible voters in the selection process of the leader.
Sanchit Mehra, president of the Liberal Party, posted on social media: “I will call a meeting of the national board to be held this week, to begin the nation-wide democratic process of selecting a new leader of the party. Mehra is facing pressure from a section of party leaders to wrap up the process within a few weeks.
But Trudeau’s decision to postpone parliament session, which was set to resume this month, until March is adding to speculations that he could delay his ouster from the office as late as June this year. The Canada elections will be held in October this year.
The Opposition, as well as Trudeau’s ally the New Democratic Party, may have to wait for the unveiling of the Budget in April to vote out the incumbent government. That process may also not be so swift per reports.
Trudeau is travelling to Washington to take part in funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter. He has also hit out at the US President-elect Donald Trump for his repeated statements on making Canada the 51st state. “There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” said Trudeau in a press statement on Tuesday.
Trump in his press conference last night refused to give an assurance that he would not use military or economic coercion to push his claims for taking over Panama Canal. He reiterated that the people of Canada will gain from merger of Canada with the US.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller told CBC that “it’s unfathomable that we can’t choose a leader of the Liberal party in a 30- to 60-day period”. He favoured a quick selection of the successor of Trudeau.
But Toronto Star in a report said: “The Liberals will also have to face questions about who is eligible to vote in the coming contest. The Hogue Commission, which is looking into foreign interference in Canadian politics, raised concerns about party nominations after taking a close look at the Liberal race in Don Valley North.” Reports said that the Chinese embassy had manipulated voters’ turnout to spur support for a China-origin candidate in the elections.
The daily quoted Marie-Josée Hogue’s preliminary report, saying: “The eligibility criteria for voting in nomination contests do not seem very stringent, and the control measures in place do not seem very robust. “Hogue’s final report is expected on January 31,” added the daily.
Join the WhatsApp Channel of The Raisina Hills
Follow on Google News https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMNK2vwsw39HWAw?hl=en-IN&gl=IN&ceid=IN%3Aen
About The Author
