Although Trudeau's resignation may have come as a shock to some, two northwest politicians are saying it's been in the works for a while.
Both MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley Taylor Bachrach and the current federal Conservative candidate for Skeena-Bulkley Valley Ellis Ross say Trudeau's resignation comes as no surprise. As Bachrach puts it;
“Really, it was an untenable position where, you know, a party that is so focused on their own, inner, inner workings and, and problems isn't in a position to defend the country at a time. That is a really difficult one for Canada. When we look at what's happening south of the border and the threat of tariffs, this is an incredibly challenging time. So, I'm glad to see that he finally made that tough decision. I think there's a real sense of relief in our communities. And now we're in a position to reflect on what it means to be Canadian and how we move forward together as a region and as a country.”
And Ellis Ross says it was about time.
“Basically, what surprised me was it took so long. I mean, close to a year and eight confidence votes in the House of Commons to get this day. So that’s really what surprised me.”
Ross says that the loss of the NDP leader's confidence over the holidays may have played into Trudeau's move.
“The letter that went out from the NDP leader just over the holidays said that they had no confidence in the federal government. That might have had something to do with it. But you’ve got to remember, the federal Liberal MPs were also voicing their discontent with the leadership that they were undergoing as well. So I think it was a combination of everything happening at the same time over the past year that actually led to that.”
Bachrach says that in the current climate, he expects a spring election
"I have no doubt that we'll have an election this Spring. I imagine it'll be, early May. It looks like that's the timing that we're looking at. You know, in many ways, it was unfortunate that the Prime Minister chose to prorogue Parliament because, this is a very tenuous time when we see, President elect [Trump] coming in, south of the border, threatening unprecedented tariffs and a situation that we haven't seen, ever really when it comes to our southern neighbors.This is a time when we need a strong government in place that can stand up for Canadian values and Canadian jobs, and, Parliament is part of that. So while we do still there is still a federal government in place, the parliamentary oversight and the checks and balances that come with our parliamentary system won't be back in operation, until March. So, it's going to be a challenging time when it, when it comes to the governance of our country.”
