Trudeau has four options as the political crisis worsens.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin  Trudeau's future looks uncertain  after the  abrupt resignation of his  top cabinet  official, a  former close  ally.

Chrystia Freeland, a former deputy prime minister and finance  minister, resigned Monday, writing an open letter to Trudeau,  outlining her disagreements with him on spending and  "the best path for  Canada."
Those disputes, she said,  have been exacerbated by  new U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on Canadian goods  — tariffs that economists say could deal a devastating  blow to the Canadian economy.
There are now  questions in Parliament, including  from some members of his own Liberal Party, about whether he is  fit to lead at this critical  time.
He has several options on how to move  forward. Heed calls for  his resignation
Trudeau has been leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since  2013 and  Prime Minister of Canada for just over nine years, since  2015.
According to the party's constitution, the leader can  resign at any time. If effective immediately, an interim leader is appointed until party members can  meet and vote on a new permanent  leader.
Trudeau can also choose to  remain in  office until that new leader is  elected.
Once a new leader is appointed, Trudeau  will have to relinquish his powers  as Prime Minister and hand them over to his  successor. Stay strong and weather the  storm.
Trudeau is not  suggesting he will  resign voluntarily  anytime soon.
In an emergency meeting with his caucus  after Freeland's departure, Trudeau told  his fellow Liberal  MPs — including some who had directly called for  his resignation — that he would take time to  think, according to multiple  reports.
And in a holiday speech to  the Liberal Party faithful on Tuesday, he acknowledged  that politics  faced "enormous challenges" but said:  "In difficult times,  this is not  the time to  give up." This is the time to be ambitious,  to be bold."
Trudeau has been under pressure since the summer,  driven by his  declining popularity and a series of special election losses  in once-safe Liberal seats that  pose serious problems for his  party.
In October, he faced a  revolt from a small  parliamentary group, with 24  lawmakers signing a letter calling for his  removal. Despite these difficulties, Trudeau has  stood firm and has repeatedly  promised to run again as Liberal  Party leader in the next  election.
Only 13 of  the 153 Liberal MPs have so far openly called for  his removal — nearly half of  whom are not seeking  re-election, according to  a CBC  News tally.
However, according to the  party's constitution, the  leadership position can be formally put to a vote by members  after an  electoral defeat.
A vote  of no confidence triggers an  election.
Outnumbered in opinion  polls, the Conservatives have  been trying for months to trigger an election by  filing a series of no-confidence  motions in the House of  Commons.
If a government loses a motion or  a vote  of confidence in the  House of Representatives, it is  likely to resign or seek the dissolution of  Parliament, thus triggering a federal  election. The government needs the  support of a majority of 338  MPs for a vote of  no confidence. The Liberals are 17 seats  away from that result.
The Conservatives' efforts failed  because the NDP or the Bloc Québécois  supported the Liberals in  exchange for support  for advancing their respective political  priorities.
With Parliament recessed on Tuesday, Trudeau will not  face the threat of another confidence  vote until at least  the end of January.
On Monday, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh  called for Trudeau to resign for the first  time, making the  Liberals' grip on power increasingly  fragile. The Democratic Party leader told CBC  television that  his members would vote in  favor of a no-confidence motion if the prime minister was still leader in the  new year.
Proroguing Parliament to avoid a no-confidence  vote
Trudeau can avoid the vote by proroguing  Parliament — essentially a suspension that  stops all proceedings, including debates and votes, without dissolving  Parliament.
While this is an integral part of parliamentary procedure, it is sometimes used by governments to buy time during a political  crisis.
Parliament was most recently  suspended by Trudeau in August 2020, when his government was facing an ethics scandal over its handling of a contract with a  charity.
It was also used to avoid a vote  of no confidence by Trudeau's predecessor, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who  suspended Parliament in December 2008 when federal opposition parties sought to form a coalition  government. Parliament resumed in January 2009. By  then, the coalition had  collapsed, allowing Harper to remain in  power.
Whatever Trudeau  decides, an election in the coming months is  inevitable.
Canada is due to hold its next election  later in October, and ultimately, voters  can decide its future.
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