Tories warn of a captainless ship ahead of Trump’s 25% tariff imposition

The Official Opposition at a press conference Tuesday stressed the importance of strong leadership in Canada heading into a Trump presidency.

Incoming President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated January 20, in November vowed to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadians and Mexican goods America’s neighbours tightened immigration and drug policies, citing porous borders endangering the US.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced his intent to resign as Liberal party leader and would prorogue parliament until March 24 while the party organizes itself and selects a new leader.

In doing so, Trudeau shut down ongoing committee investigations and unpassed private members bills, grinding parliamentary processes to even more of a standstill than before the announcement.

For months, Parliament has been gridlocked — waiting on the Liberals to hand over unredacted green subsidies documents to the RCMP for investigation.

The Public Accounts Committee was scheduled to meet Tuesday to begin moving a non-confidence motion — one that would have been voted on at the end of January, effectively dissolving the Trudeau Liberal minority government.

Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer speaking to reporters on Tuesday said “Canadians don't need this uncertainty and chaos” as the Liberal Party sorts itself out.

Trudeau may be on his way out, but “Canadians are angry at this government because of the misery that Canadians are experiencing,” he said, adding the country needs a “strong leader” that is “able to negotiate much better” than Trudeau.

“It's clear that Justin Trudeau has been, personally, very weak in dealing with the US administration, both parties,” said Scheer.

“[He] had to capitulate to Donald Trump the first time he was president. He then backed down to President Biden and failed to get an exemption on softwood lumber or by America, failed to take new energy exports to the United States.”

“So Justin Trudeau has been incredibly weak personally, and he's put our country in a position of weakness by imposing a carbon tax on Canada when the United States doesn't have one, chasing away jobs and investment.”

The Conservatives pushed their call for an election, “so we can put an end to all the misery and suffering and all of the chaos that Justin Trudeau has selfishly put our country in.”

“To consider the fact that Canadians don't even know when the new prime minister will be chosen, or what process this is all to be sorted out when we're just less than two weeks away from an incoming US administration with these tariffs threatening our country,” said Scheer.

“This is an incredibly selfish and self-centred move, once again, proving that Liberals put themselves and their party ahead of the interests of Canada and of Canadians.”

Scheer added the whole mess could have been avoided if NDP leader Jagmeet Singh “had actually put his actions where his words were,” not continuously propping up the Trudeau Liberal government while speaking out of the other side of his mouth saying Trudeau can’t be trusted.