2020: During the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Trudeau became the first Group of 7 leader to isolate himself, after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive for Covid-19. (They are now separated.) Mr. Trudeau pushed for restrictive measures and was targeted over them by his Conservative critics, even though most of the restrictions were put in place by provincial governments.
2021: When his approval ratings were still relatively high, Mr. Trudeau called a snap election, saying he wanted a strong mandate for his party to lead Canada out of the pandemic and into economic recovery. He eked out a narrow victory, but the Liberal Party again failed to secure a majority of votes.
2022: Canadian protesters fighting vaccine requirements paralyzed Ottawa, the capital, and several border crossings. Mr. Trudeau took the rare step of declaring a national public order emergency, allowing the authorities to move aggressively to restore public order, banning public assembly and restricting travel. It was a move that fueled some conservative anger against him, while rising housing costs and inflation were a frustration for Canadians of all political persuasions.
2023: In a discussion with The New York Times in 2023, Mr. Trudeau noted that people were angry. “It really sucks right now. Like, everything sucks for people, even in Canada. We’re supposed to be polite and nice, but, man, people are mad.” While he was contending with popular outrage over the cost of housing and high unemployment, Mr. Trudeau also had friction with India, accusing “agents of the government of India” of carrying out the assassination of a Sikh community leader in British Columbia.
2024: In September, Mr. Trudeau’s hold on power slipped somewhat when the left-leaning New Democratic Party deprived Liberals of guaranteed support needed to pass legislation. In October, Mr. Trudeau said he was tightening Canada’s immigration policies after the country welcomed nearly three million people over three years, straining health care and other services, a move viewed as an admission his policy had not worked. In December, Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, resigned abruptly, a stinging rebuke to Mr. Trudeau.
2025: Mr. Trudeau caved to pressure from many in his party to step down.
