Explainer: What options does Prime Minister Trudeau face in Canada’s leadership crisis? By Reuters

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under increasing pressure to resign after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned on Monday over a political clash, sparking one of the worst crisis of his nine years in power.

Below are some possible ways forward for Canada:

CAN YOUR LIBERAL PARTY EXPELL TRUDEAU?

Unlike Britain, where party leaders are elected by the parliamentary group and can be quickly removed, the Liberal leader is elected by a special convention of members. Therefore, there is no formal party mechanism to remove Trudeau if he wants to stay.

That said, if members of his own cabinet and a large number of lawmakers call for him to leave, he may conclude that his position is untenable.

CAN PARLIAMENT EXPELL TRUDEAU?

Canadian governments must demonstrate that they have the confidence of the elected chamber of the House of Commons. Votes on budgets and other spending are considered measures of confidence, and if a government loses one, it falls. In virtually all cases, the election campaign begins immediately.

In addition, the government must allocate a few days in each session to opposition parties so that they can present motions on any issue, including the motion of no confidence. If all parties vote against the Liberals, Trudeau will fall. If an opposition party abstains, it will remain in power.

The House of Commons closes on Tuesday for the winter break and does not return until January 27. This suggests that the earliest a confidence vote could be held is late February or March, as it would likely take weeks for the opposition to propose its own motion. .

IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TRUDEAU COULD BE EXPELLED?

Ultimate constitutional power in Canada rests with Governor General Mary Simon, who is the personal representative of King Charles, the head of state. In theory, he can impeach Trudeau, but in real life this would not happen. “The governor general will not remove a prime minister who still enjoys the confidence of the Commons,” said Philippe Lagasse, a professor and constitutional expert at Ottawa’s Carleton University.

HOW COULD TRUDEAU SURVIVE?

Trudeau’s Liberals hold a minority of seats in the House and therefore rely on vote-by-vote support from other parties to govern. So far, the left-wing New Democrats, who seek to appeal to the same voters as the Liberals, have helped keep Trudeau in power. Although New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh is under pressure to unseat Trudeau, polls show his party, like the Liberals, would be crushed by the official Conservative opposition in an election. Therefore, he may decide that keeping a struggling Trudeau in power better serves his purposes.

WHAT ELSE COULD TRUDEAU DO TO AVOID BEING FIRED?

Trudeau could prorogue parliament, which would formally end the current session and give him some breathing room. In this scenario, the return of the House would be delayed by several weeks, allowing the government to reveal a new plan for how it plans to govern the country. While this would have the advantage of delaying any vote of no confidence, it could further anger Liberal lawmakers, especially if Trudeau were still prime minister.

WHAT HAPPENS IF TRUDEAU RESIGNS?

If Trudeau resigns, the Liberals will name an interim leader to take over as prime minister while the party holds a special leadership convention. The challenge for the party is that these conventions typically take months to organize and elections could occur before then, leaving the Liberals in the hands of an interim prime minister not elected by members. This has never happened in Canada. The Liberals could try to hold a shorter convention than usual, but this could lead to protests from candidates who felt this put them at a disadvantage.

There is no way Freeland can quickly be appointed prime minister on a permanent basis, as tradition dictates that the interim leader does not run as a candidate to lead the party. If Freeland decided to enter the race, she and other serious contenders would not be considered for the position.