Canada’s Liberal Party in search of a new leader while dealing with Trump threats, pending election
Associated PressTORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party finds itself in search of a new leader while dealing with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods and with Canada’s election just months away. Trudeau said he plans to stay on as prime minister until a new party leader is chosen, but a new Canadian leader is unlikely to be named before Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20. “Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.” Trump said the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada. “Trudeau’s announcement might help the Liberals in the polls in the short run and, once a new leader is selected, things could improve further at least for a little while but that would not be so hard because, right now, they’re so low in the polls,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.