Canada’s finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned on Monday, creating fresh turmoil for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his minority government as they struggle to reverse their waning popularity. Freeland, who is also Canada’s deputy prime minister, said Trudeau had on Friday told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and had offered her a different cabinet position. She said that in recent weeks the pair had been “at odds about the best path forward for Canada”.
Trudeau has faced repeated calls to step down and trails badly in polls to the opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. In October, Trudeau insisted he would stay on as leader of his minority government despite months of speculation over his leadership and an appeal from up to 40 MPs from his Liberal party to step down. Pressure has grown on Trudeau to step down after the party lost two safe parliamentary seats in by-elections in June and September.