I was sad to hear that Justin Trudeau announced his resignation today—and I hate Pierre Poilievre more than ever. While I’ve voted for Trudeau in the past, this isn’t about supporting the Liberals. In fact, I don’t plan to vote for them anytime soon. Not because they’re particularly bad but because both the Liberals and Conservatives ultimately serve wealthy capitalist interests. I believe the interests of unchecked capitalism are the root of most of our current problems. The difference is that the Liberals support some social services, whereas the Conservatives seem eager to privatize or dismantle them altogether.
What enrages me isn’t that Trudeau is stepping down—it’s why he’s stepping down. His resignation is the result of a calculated, ruthless smear campaign orchestrated by Poilievre that has dragged Canadian political discourse into the mud. Let’s call it what it is: a paid-for, strategic hatchet job against a Prime Minister who, while flawed, was way better than the alternative.
The Conservative campaign isn’t about holding Trudeau accountable for his policies or leadership. It’s about tearing someone down for pure, unadulterated power. Poilievre has weaponized people’s pain and anger, pointing it all at Trudeau with relentless disinformation and divisive rhetoric. I have never hated a Canadian politician before now. Poilievre isn’t a leader; he’s a bully bent on destruction. He doesn’t care what or who gets trampled in his quest for the top job.
What’s worse, his tactics are working. He’s taken pages straight from the MAGA playbook using conspiracy theories, dog-whistle politics, and blatant lies. Canadians, who once prided themselves on being better than this, are buying it. Poilievre isn’t offering solutions—he’s peddling anger, oversimplified soundbites, and empty promises. And now, Trudeau—the one leader who stood firm against this rising tide of poison—is stepping away.
Trudeau didn’t create the systemic issues Canada faces today. He inherited them, many planted by years of Conservative policies. While his record isn’t perfect, he faced monumental challenges—a global pandemic, a housing crisis, and climate change—with a willingness to try and care. That’s more than I can say for Poilievre, whose primary goal seems to be dismantling everything Trudeau built, no matter the cost to Canadians.
The hypocrisy is especially galling. Poilievre brands himself as the champion of the “average” Canadian, but he utterly serves the wealthy elites who thrive on unchecked capitalism. His vision for Canada isn’t about affordability or fairness—it’s about slashing social services, privatizing what’s left, and leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. And the people falling for his shtick? They’ll be the ones who suffer the most under his leadership.
Trudeau’s resignation is more than just the end of his leadership—it’s a warning sign. The kind of toxic politics we’ve fought to keep at bay in Canada has arrived, and it’s here to stay unless we push back. If Poilievre is the future of Canadian politics, then God help us all.
I’m angry—not because I’m defending Trudeau or the Liberals, but because I’m watching my country fall prey to a man whose vision for Canada is a nightmare. We deserve better than this. Canada deserves better than this. Trudeau may be stepping down, but I’m not going anywhere. And neither should you.
-Louise Mignault
Cornwall
About the Author
Hey Louise,
I read your letter about Trudeau resigning, and I get that you’re upset, but I think you’re giving Poilievre way too much credit here. Sure, the guy’s loud and annoying, but Trudeau stepping down wasn’t just about him. There’s way more to the story.
For starters, people have been pretty ticked off with Trudeau for a while now. Groceries cost a fortune, rent’s out of control, and honestly, a lot of folks just don’t feel like life is getting any better. That’s not on Poilievre—that’s on Trudeau being in charge for the past eight years. You can only blame “the other guy” for so long before people start looking at you and saying, “What have you actually done?”
And even his own team wasn’t sticking by him! Chrystia Freeland quit, and she’s been his right-hand woman for ages. That’s gotta tell you something. If the people who are supposed to have your back are walking away, it’s probably not just because Poilievre is mean on Twitter.
Let’s be real—Trudeau’s been sliding for a while. People didn’t love how he handled stuff like the carbon tax, housing, or immigration. And yeah, his whole “sunny ways” vibe was nice at first, but after years of broken promises, people stopped buying it. Polls were tanking, and it didn’t look like he could win the next election anyway. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall.
Look, I get it—you’re mad, and maybe you feel like this is a big loss for Canada. But blaming one guy like Poilievre for everything just doesn’t feel fair. Trudeau’s resignation wasn’t just about heckling or opposition tactics—it was about a lot of things building up over time.
At the end of the day, leaders come and go. We’ll see what happens next, but let’s not act like this was all some grand Poilievre scheme. Sometimes, it’s just time to go.
Cheers,
Just Another Joe
This is why I’m frustrated with Trudeau resigning too. He is not responsible for the high grocery prices or the out-of-control rent. He is not responsible for rising gas prices or the fact everything costs more. That is greed. We are being gouged everywhere and then people get angry and a weaselly little populist like PP or the bully to the south use that anger but do nothing to make it better and in fact, make things far worse. So cool. You got rid of your boogie man who made the big bad rent and groceries so horrible. Now what? You are deluding yourself if you think that it will actually change a darn thing.
Thanks Neil. I agree with you and am worried about “Now what? You are deluding yourself if you think that it will actually change a darn thing.” Without saying that Trudeau has done a perfect job.. or even a great one (depending on your barometer), my concern is that people are not blaming the right target. (I think it’s the ultra wealthy and the capitalist system that enables them). You know the saying “jumping from the frying pan into the fire”.. well, thanks to the hate tactics of the conservatives, that’s what Canadians are poised to do. There is absolutely a reason to be angry.. (I struggle every time I go grocery shopping) but people need to take a few beats and look at who is to blame for what before jumping into something that is likely to be worse. Take care.
I partly disagree. I do believe Poilievre played a dirty game and tried pushing the narrative in the “resign” direction, but Trudeau also dug his own grave. It’s a perfect storm. Trudeau doing what he has done without Poilievre in the equation would not have resulted in a resignation. But Poilievre yelling “resign” like a mad mad without Trudeau messing up would not have ended up in resignation either.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your comments. My letter was mostly about toxic politics, and for that, Poilievre wins the award. Singh also, unfortunately, echoed the same crappy style – to his detriment.
You talk about people being ticked off at Trudeau “for a while” for things like “Groceries cost a fortune, rent’s out of control, and honestly, a lot of folks just don’t feel like life is getting any better.” Canadians are indeed struggling. You say it’s on Trudeau (and not Poilievre). Well is it? There are layers, but let’s face it: Ford tossed rent controls out the window, and the cost of groceries (and other consumables) results from corporate greed. Poilievre laid the blame for both at Trudeau’s feet.
I think many of our current problems result from a capitalist system that benefits the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. And both the Liberals and the Conservatives are proponents of that system.
As for his team sticking with him.. people tend to leave what they perceive to be a sinking ship. That perception has been relentlessly hammered into the public mind by Poilievre’s “everything is broken and it’s all Trudeau’s fault”.
Poilievre is not simply “mean on Twitter” – his entire campaign (millions and millions of dollars spent over 2 years) has focused on blaming everything on Trudeau.
I have no problem with blaming any politician when it is deserved. I have a problem with disinformation. I have a bigger problem when disinformation replaces an honest campaign that tells Canadians what you stand for and how you will accomplish your political goals.
As for “People didn’t love how he handled stuff like the carbon tax, housing, or immigration.” The immigration wasn’t stellar. Too many people in, without a solid plan on how to care for them. We saw that locally. I never had a problem with the carbon tax. I make money on the rebates as do most Canadians. Housing is a bitch, and Ford’s Conservatives have made it worse.
You didn’t mention climate change. It’s a huge existential problem. The Liberal’s carbon tax was inadequate on its own, but God help us if the the Conservatives get in – they are downplaying it, if not outright denying it.
In a better world, the Conservatives and NDP would have criticized the Libs for their failings and promoted viable alternatives. Both would be campaigning on what they want to do for Canadians, clearly stating how they will accomplish their goals.
You missed the point if you think my letter is about my big sadness about Trudeau leaving per se.
And you may be missing the point altogether if you think the Conservatives will make anything better for the majority of Canadians.
Cheers,
Louise
Well said. Bad-faith players are winning worldwide while good-faith people still think there are rules.
Thanks Tim. I agree. Take care.
Trudeau has taken a lot and did it as a gentleman.
I think many of you will be surprised when the NISCOP report comes out this month. They already know the Poilievre was propped up by the Modi government.
I do hope that the IDU is mentioned in this report.
BEWARE of any politician who promises to reduce food prices. We have already seen it with Trump who campaigned on this & now admits he can’t reduce prices.
The IDU propped up Trump and now propping up Poilievre. How do they do it? They smear the leader. They smeared Biden, they smeared Trudeau.
Trudeau did try to bring prices down by changing the competition act and created a grocery code of conduct. That is about all a leader can do.
Now, one the the Liberal MP’s who yelled he wanted Trudeau to resign is now running to be our next PM. He will not win. He is not bilingual. He sounds like that voice you hear when you call Bell Tech support. He visited Modi recently and will feed Modi data from the Liberal party.
There is a lot of foreign interference going on in our country. A lot of misinformation spread by Russia, India & China.
Members of the Conservative party have been in correspondence with a Nazi sympathizer in Germany. This is where our country is headed, TO FASCISM. If we all stop blaming, maybe Canada can get through this rough time.
As for the cost of rents. Provincial leaders got rid of the rent control boards. Food? darn look at the world, floods and fires every week. Do you expect the price of food to go down when there is not enough to go around? Then there is the greed which I addressed with what Trudeau tried to do. As long as there are wars, floods, fires, we will be in tough times. Remember our ancestors struggled.
I read that Trudeau will have a great legacy and has been compared to Pearson who gave us healthcare (along with Tommy Douglas), our flag, our pension and more. Yet at the end, Pearson’s numbers went down after he gave us all that we enjoy today.
Canadians need to smarten up and pay more attention.