Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau is a former Canadian prime minister, born in Ottawa in 1971, the eldest son of Pierre Trudeau. He studied at McGill and the University of British Columbia and taught secondary school in Vancouver. He was elected MP for Papineau in Montreal in 2008, became Liberal leader in 2013 and won a majority in 2015, followed by minorities in 2019 and 2021. He announced his resignation in January 2025, left office in March and did not seek re-election. He holds no public office, and in 2026 co-founded a film and television production company.

Supporters credit Trudeau with the Canada Child Benefit, legalizing cannabis, putting a national price on carbon, negotiating CUSMA under pressure from the Trump administration, launching $10-a-day child care and advancing Indigenous reconciliation. Critics point to the federal ethics commissioner's findings that he broke conflict of interest law in the Aga Khan and SNC-Lavalin affairs, the abandoned promise of electoral reform, large deficits, and the 2019 revelation that he had worn blackface. Civil libertarians objected to his use of the Emergencies Act, which a Federal Court judge ruled unjustified in 2024. Rapid population growth driven by immigration, housing shortages and rising living costs eroded his support, and he resigned after Liberal MPs turned against him.