Thunder Bay reacts to Trudeau resignation
Superior Morning held a panel discussion on announcement
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor, bringing his time leading the country to an end.
Reactions came swiftly from across the country with some welcoming the announcement and others taking the time to thank Trudeau for his time and work over the years.
Trudeau also announced that he met with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Monday morning and that she has agreed to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament until March 24.
The announcement came following weeks of speculation and weakened support from his caucus.
CBC's Superior Morning held a panel with 3 guests to discuss more about the historic news, and what they anticipate in the upcoming months.
Tristan Bhola is a fourth year student in political science and pre-law at Lakehead University and said when he first heard the announcement he was excited. The majority of his life there's been a Liberal government in power, and he thinks it's going to be an "incredible leadership race."
"I think it's a time where Canadians will be able to go to the polls, perhaps in the spring, sometime in 2025, and Canada can reevaluate with two brand new leaders," said Bhola.
He agrees with the decision to prorogue Parliament until March 24, bringing up the tensions in Parliament and how not much has been happening for the past six months due to it being "seized up."
"I think a huge part of that is this polarization that we're experiencing across Canada. And rightly or wrongly, I think Mr. Trudeau is at the centre of that," said Bhola.
While Bhola does feel the Liberal party will need to shake the "Trudeau baggage" off, he thinks with the leadership campaign coming up it can be a great way to highlight some issues that are going on in northwestern Ontario, and put them on a national stage.
Bhola mentions the issues with access to healthcare and boil water advisories as problems in the north as examples.
"With the leadership race coming up, we're gonna see the spotlights turn to the Liberal candidates. And I hope our leadership in Northern Ontario can highlight some of the issues that are unique to our region of the country."
Jason Veltri is the riding president for Thunder Bay Superior North Provincial Liberal Association. He said this is an inflection moment not only for the Liberal Party but also for Canadians as a whole.
"He's been in power for nine years. And I think if you look to US politics, there's term limits for reasons. So I think exhaustion has set in. COVID has been a massive strain on any government around the world," said Veltri.
Veltri also agrees with the decision to prorogue Parliament until March 24 and said it's a necessary step any government would take.
"I don't think that prorogation is going to be looked at in the wrong way in this respect, at least from my opinion. This allows a leadership race and essentially the next Prime Minister to come to the House of Commons potentially if they're elected and set the tone and go to an election."
When it comes to northwestern Ontario, he thinks it allows candidates across the north to stand behind a potentially new vision for the country a new leader would bring.
"This is where our local leaders will be able to maybe stand up a little bit more and not worry about having the Team Trudeau on the sign anymore. It will be a new team name. But again, as with any leadership, we're going to be fighting tooth and nail internally."
Jordan Hudyma is a public affairs consultant with Crestview Strategy and said it was definitely a long time coming with Trudeau choosing to step down and there is now an opportunity to "save more than just a few pieces of furniture."
"Trudeau has left an indelible mark on Canadian society and on our politics and I think his government has done a lot of good things. That said, in order to protect a lot of the progress that has been made, this is a much needed step to bring in that renewal," said Hudyma.
Hudyma said the decision to prorogue Parliament until March 24 makes sense, and offers a time of continuity and time for everyone to take a step back to figure things out.
With local candidates, Hudyma thinks they will have the opportunity to do strong local campaigns and run them without the "overhang of the Trudeau name and brand."
"I think this is going to give what appears right now, if polls are to be believed, a blue wave across northern Ontario, east and west. I think that this is going to give a lot of the local candidates across the region a fighting chance."
Both Hudyma and Veltri believe by the end of the week there will be rules that will come out which will dictate how the race will go, and that it will be a fast leadership campaign.
Hudyma and Bhola also agree that anyone currently associated with Trudeau doesn't stand a chance, and there needs to be someone outside of that to get an advantage.