Will Trudeau resign? The Prime Minister of Canada can take four paths.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future appears uncertain after the sudden resignation of his most senior cabinet member, once a close ally.

Chrystia Freeland – the former deputy prime minister and finance minister – resigned from her posts on Monday with an open letter to Trudeau, in which she discussed spending and “the best way forward for Canada.” Outlined the differences in the passage.

He said those differences are underscored by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on Canadian goods — tariffs that economists say could deal a devastating economic blow to Canada. is

Questions are now being asked on Parliament Hill, including by some members of his own Liberal Party, about whether he is fit to lead at this critical juncture.

He is faced with few options on how to proceed.

Trudeau has been the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2013 and Prime Minister of Canada for just over nine years since 2015.

Under the party’s constitution, the leader can tender his resignation at any time. If it is effective immediately, an interim leader is appointed until party members can convene and vote for a new permanent leader.

Trudeau may also choose to remain in office until a new leader is elected.

Once a new leader is appointed, Trudeau must relinquish his prime ministerial powers to his successor.

Trudeau is not indicating that he will voluntarily resign anytime soon.

In an emergency meeting with his caucus following Freeland’s departure, Trudeau told fellow Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) — including some who had directly called on him to resign — that, according to multiple reports, he Will take time to think.

And in a holiday speech to the Liberal Party faithful on Tuesday, he acknowledged that politics came with “huge challenges” but said: “In tough times, this is not the time to stop. This is the time to be ambitious, to be brave.” “

Trudeau has been under pressure since the summer, with his plummeting approval ratings and a series of special election losses in once-safe Liberal seats signaling major problems for his party.

In October, he faced a small caucus revolt, with 24 MPs signing a letter calling for his expulsion.

Polls show that if Canada’s federal election were held today, the official opposition Conservative Party would win a decisive victory.

Trudeau has persevered despite these odds and has repeatedly vowed to run again as Liberal leader in the next election.

According to CBC News tracking, only 13 of the 153 Liberal MPs have so far openly called for him to leave — about half of them not running for re-election themselves.

Yet, under the party’s constitution, the position of leader can only be formally voted on by members after an election loss.

With a double-digit lead in opinion polls, the Conservatives have spent months trying to trigger an election by staging a series of no-confidence votes in the House of Commons.

If a government loses a confidence motion or vote in the House, it is expected to resign or dissolve parliament, triggering a federal election.

The government needs the support of a majority of 338 members of Parliament in a vote of no confidence. The Liberals are 17 seats shy of that.

Conservative efforts failed when the NDP or Bloc Québécois supported the Liberals in exchange for support to advance their own political priorities.

After parliament adjourned for recess on Tuesday, Trudeau won’t face the threat of another no-confidence motion until at least late January.

On Monday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called for Trudeau’s resignation for the first time, making the Liberals’ grip on power appear increasingly shaky.

The NDP’s House leader told broadcaster CBC that if the prime minister remains leader in the new year, his members will vote in favor of a no-confidence motion.

One way to avoid a Trudeau vote is to prorogue Parliament — essentially a suspension that would stop all proceedings, including debates and votes, without dissolving Parliament.

While a normal part of parliamentary procedure, it is sometimes used by governments to buy time during political crises.

Trudeau most recently suspended parliament in August 2020, after his government faced an ethics scandal over its handling of a contract with a charity.

It was also used to avoid a vote of no confidence in Trudeau’s predecessor, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who in December 2008 when the federal government When the opposition parties tried to form a coalition government, they suspended the parliament.

Parliament resumed in January 2009. By then the coalition had collapsed, allowing Harper to remain in power.

Whatever Trudeau decides, elections are inevitable in the coming months.

Canada must hold its next election on or before October, and ultimately, it may be the voters who decide its future.