I’ve loathed Justin Trudeau for so long now. In fact, I’ve ignored Canada since the Freedom Convoy trucker protests. Though Rude Contributing Editor Byron King often writes about Canada and its mines and miners, I haven’t written about America’s Hat since I lived in the Philippines.

But hey, it’s 2025. And it’s long past time for Canada to take out the trash.

I don’t mind that females almost exclusively vote for handsome men. But it gets tiresome when you keep voting for the same failure.

And this clown? He’s run Canada so far into the ground that there’s only half-joking talk of the Canadian provinces joining the United States.

If only… Credit: @TheBabylonBee

Justin Pierre James Trudeau burst onto the political stage in 2015 with promises of hope, change, and a progressive vision for Canada. With his youthful charisma and famous surname, he quickly became the darling of the WEF-oriented liberal elite.

He resigned yesterday, and not soon enough.

Trudeau’s record is a mess, marred by controversy, ethical lapses, and policy missteps that have left many Canadians questioning how they could’ve been so taken.

But let’s play the ball and not the man, tempting though that is. Here’s a rundown of his frankly frightening missteps as Prime Minister.

Ethics and Scandals: A Pattern of Controversy

Trudeau’s tenure as Prime Minister has been defined, at least in part, by repeated ethical lapses.

In 2019, the SNC-Lavalin affair tarnished Trudeau's reputation as a defender of justice. He was accused of pressuring the then-Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to interfere in the corruption case against the engineering firm. This resulted in her dismissal. More on that later.

Trudeau's decision to award WE Charity a $900 million contract to manage a student grant program sparked controversy in 2020. This was because of the organization's financial ties to his family.

Adding to these issues, Trudeau was found guilty of breaching ethics rules twice: once in the SNC-Lavalin affair and earlier for accepting a 2016 vacation on the Aga Khan’s private island.

The Growing Economic Burden

Canada’s economy faced significant challenges during Trudeau’s tenure, and his handling of them showed that he knew little about economics. Canada’s national debt ballooned, particularly during the 2020-2021 government-mandated private-sector shutdown. Trudeau’s government spent money like drunken sailors, leaving future generations to pay for its folly.

The Canadian housing crisis intensified under Trudeau. Home prices skyrocketed due to foreign investors laundering money through the Canadian real estate market. While Trudeau’s government introduced measures to address the issue, these efforts were too little, too late.

The asinine federal carbon tax, a cornerstone of Trudeau’s leftist climate policy, also faced backlash. While aimed at reducing emissions, it only increased costs for households and businesses without providing adequate support to offset the financial impact.

Falling Short on Indigenous Reconciliation

Trudeau campaigned on a promise of reconciliation with Indigenous communities, but his government failed to deliver meaningful change. A stark example is the continued lack of clean drinking water in many First Nations communities, a crisis he promised to resolve by 2021. It remains unresolved.

Trudeau’s treatment of the aforementioned Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was also Canada’s first Indigenous Attorney General, further undermined his alleged commitment to reconciliation. Many saw his firing her from the cabinet during the SNC-Lavalin affair as a betrayal of his promise to elevate Indigenous voices in government.

A Rocky Foreign Policy

Trudeau's foreign policy was a series of embarrassing screw-ups.

His 2018 trip to India became an international laughingstock due to his over-the-top traditional attire and the inclusion of a man convicted of attempted murder at official events. Critics argued that the trip damaged Canada’s relationship with India and distracted him from meaningful diplomatic objectives.

His handling of relations with China also drew criticism, particularly during the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Many Canadians felt their government didn’t stand up to Beijing.

Even his approach to pipelines—an issue at the intersection of foreign investment, energy, and environmental policy—has alienated environmentalists and the energy sector. By nationalizing the Trans Mountain pipeline, Trudeau angered both camps, who viewed the move as either a betrayal of climate goals or a failure to support Canada’s oil and gas industry fully.

His Pandemic Response

Trudeau’s travel restrictions and quarantine policies were overly harsh, particularly for Canadians returning from abroad. These policies added to the perception of a government that was often on its back foot.

His dismissive rhetoric during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests, where he labeled protesters a "fringe minority," is a prime example of his harshness. Freezing their bank accounts was beyond the pale. While many Canadians stupidly supported his stance on vaccine mandates, his dismissive language and abuse of legal statutes inflamed existing divisions within the country.

Missed Energy and Environmental Targets

While Trudeau introduced progressive policies like the carbon tax and committed Canada to ambitious emissions reduction targets, his government consistently missed these targets. That’s because it’s either “hit these targets” or “keep the lights on.” Canada and Germany are perfect examples that you can’t do both.

His decision to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline further alienated environmentalists, who viewed it as a betrayal of his climate commitments.

Wrap Up

Justin Trudeau’s time as Prime Minister has been an unmitigated disaster.

He’s an unreconstructed leftist who championed causes like gender equity and climate change. And yet, his tenure was marred by scandals, policy failures, and a perceived lack of accountability.

As Trudeau’s term in office winds down, Canadians have deemed him and his party a failure. They can’t get rid of him fast enough.