More MPs urge Justin Trudeau to go as DonaldTrump mocks the Canadian PM (again)

The number of Justin Trudeau’s MPs openly urging him to resign is rising, with one going public to urge leadership change as Donald Trump says it would be ‘a great idea’ for Canada to become the 51st US state.

Donald Trump has repeated his mockery of Justin Trudeau on social media. Picture: AFP.

The number of Justin Trudeau’s MPs openly urging him to resign has continued to rise, with one Liberal Party MP going public to urge his colleagues to force a leadership change.

As Donald Trump again mocked the Canadian Prime Minister, the Toronto Star reports that 16 Liberals have come out openly in support of Mr Trudeau’s resignation. Others have privately urged the same, bringing the total to more than a third of the caucus.

One MO, Jenica Atwin, told her local paper the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal that she would not run if Mr Trudeau remained as leader.

Others have agreed there is no path forward for Mr Trudeau.

Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social page that it would be “a great idea” for Canada to become the 51st US state, adding: “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.”

“I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” he said.

Mr Trump did not mention the political crisis engulfing Ottawa, with Mr Trudeau reportedly “reflecting on his future,” after the bombshell resignation of his deputy Prime Minister on Tuesday (AEDT).

Chrystia Freeland, who was also Canada’s Finance Minister, made the surprise announcement on Monday (local time), after disagreeing with her boss over Mr Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

Mr Trudeau has attempted to dismiss the crisis as a family squabble but on Thursday (AEDT) one of his most prominent critics went public in his demands that the Prime Minister quit, taking to social media to urge colleagues to put more pressure on their leader.

In a letter posted on his Facebook page, Wayne Long said Ms Freeland’s resignation was an indictment of the Prime Minister, and called on other MPs to speak up.

“The time for loyalty at all costs, for quiet hand-wringing and polite whispers behind closed doors has passed. This isn’t just about one man; it’s about saving our party from a historic defeat,” Mr Long wrote.

He added: “Do we want to stay silent and allow this to happen? Silence is complicity.”

Even before Ms Freeland’s resignation Mr Trudeau’s popularity had hit rock-bottom. He is running 20 points behind his rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in the polls and has only narrowly survived a series of no-confidence votes.

On Wednesday (AEDT) a senior Liberal Party MP told the Toronto Star Mr Trudeau was reflecting on his future and it was not certain he would continue to lead the Liberal Party.

Meanwhile Mr Trudeau has replaced Ms Freeland as finance minister with his close confidante and former babysitter Dominic LeBlanc.

Mr LeBlanc, who is four years older than Mr Trudeau, babysat him and his siblings as children. His father, Romeo LeBlanc, served as fisheries minister under Mr Trudeau’s father, Pierre, when he was prime minister.

Mr LeBlanc, 57, has outlined a number of steps in response to Mr Trump’s tariffs threat, including a proposed aerial-surveillance task force of helicopters, drones and mobile- surveillance towers to disrupt the fentanyl trade. Mr LeBlanc’s proposed five pronged approach also aims to improve co-ordination and share information with US law enforcement, and limit traffic at the border.

He said the efforts would “secure our border against the flow of illegal drugs and irregular migration while ensuring the free flow of people and goods that are at the core of North America’s prosperity”.

Mr Trump’s post is not the first time he has publicly mused at the idea of Canada joining the US.

When he made the same comment to Mr Trudeau at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in late November, howls of laughter reportedly erupted.

According to Fox News, Mr Trump suggested that merging the two nations would not only resolve his concerns about fentanyl trafficking, over which he has threatened a 25-percent tariff on Canadian goods, but could also stem illegal immigration – a problem concentrated on the US southern border.

His suggestion raised eyebrows in Ottawa with some commenting that it was “not funny,” humiliating and a not-so-subtle threat on the part of the incoming US leader.

A public opinion survey by market researcher Leger this week nonetheless found 13 per cent of Canadians support the notion of linking up with their southern neighbour.

Since then, Mr Trump has repeatedly referred to Mr Trudeau in social media posts as the governor of Canada – a title used by leaders of the 50 US states.

With AFP