New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who is helping keep Trudeau in office, said he would table a formal no-confidence motion after the elected chamber of the House of Commons returns from winter break on Jan. 27.
If all opposition parties support the motion, Trudeau will be out of office after more than nine years as prime minister and an election will be held.
Polls over the past 18 months show the Liberals, reeling from voter fatigue and high prices and the housing crisis, being badly beaten by the official opposition right-of-centre Conservatives.
The New Democrats, who aim to attract the support of center-left voters like the Liberals, complain that Trudeau is too beholden to big business.
“Regardless of who leads the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will table a clear motion of no confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons,” Singh said.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, the main opposition party, pledged to support the motion and said there was no scenario in which Trudeau survived.
The Conservatives said they will ask Governor General Mary Simon – the personal representative of Canada’s head of state King Charles – to recall parliament to hold a no-confidence vote before the end of the year. Constitutional experts say Simon would reject such a move.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilivre told reporters, “We cannot afford to have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground. What is clear is that Justin Trudeau does not have the confidence of parliament.”
A smiling Trudeau, under increasing pressure to resign following the shock resignation of his finance minister this week, presided over a cabinet reshuffle shortly after Singh released his letter.
Trudeau’s office was not immediately available for comment.
Trudeau, who has spoken publicly about Freeland’s exit, usually addresses reporters after a cabinet reshuffle but leaves without saying a word. Major domestic media organizations said his office had canceled traditional year-end interviews.
Voting on budgets and other expenditures is considered a measure of confidence. Additionally, the government should set aside a few days of each session when opposition parties can unveil motions on any matter, including no-confidence motions.
Singh’s move is a political risk, as an election that marked a crushing defeat for the Liberals also spells bad news for the NDP.
Darrell Bricker, CEO of polling firm Ipsos-Reid, said Singh had a chance to replace the Liberals as the first choice of voters opposed to the Conservatives.
“Waiting to give the Liberals, and even Trudeau, a chance to get off the mat is a mistake,” he said via email.
Before Singh made his announcement, a source close to Trudeau said the prime minister would take the Christmas break to think about his future and was unlikely to make an announcement before January.
Liberal leaders are elected by a special convention of party members, which takes months to organize.
Singh’s promise to act soon means that even if Trudeau now resigns, the Liberals may not find a new permanent leader in time for the next election. The party will then have to compete in a vote with an interim leader, something that has never happened before in Canada.
So far, about 20 Liberal lawmakers are openly calling for Trudeau’s resignation, but his cabinet remains loyal.
The crisis comes at a critical time as US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20 and vows to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada, further damaging the economy.
The premiers of 10 provinces, trying to forge a unified approach on tariffs, are complaining about what they call chaos in Ottawa.