On Christmas Eve, something big happened in Canada: a record-breaking 386,698 people signed an online petition asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down. This petition, known as e-4701, is the most signed e-petition in Canadian parliamentary history and represents nearly 1% of the entire population.
Started by Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri on November 24, 2023, the petition reflects widespread dissatisfaction with Trudeau’s leadership. It calls for a vote of no confidence in Trudeau’s minority government due to various issues, including rising housing costs, violations of civil rights, high inflation, unfair immigration policies, excessive taxes leading to poverty, and mismanagement of natural resources. The petition closed on Christmas Eve of the same year, signaling a significant moment in Canadian politics.
The petition highlighted Trudeau’s involvement in five ethics investigations, which hurt Canada’s reputation and made people trust him less. Another notable e-petition, signed by over 286,000 people, was from the New Democratic Party, asking for peace between Israel and Palestine.
There are a lot of people who are not happy with Trudeau’s leadership. If you go Back in 2022, #TrudeauMustGo was a big deal on Canadian Twitter for five whole days, with over a million tweets about it. Even Trudeau’s brother, Kyle Kemper, felt let down by Trudeau’s connections to businesses.
During the pandemic, Trudeau said some things that upset people, like calling unvaccinated protestors a “small fringe minority with unacceptable views.” A study by Abacus Data found that 91% of Liberal voters didn’t think Trudeau was genuine.
These events show that many people are not pleased with Trudeau’s actions and words. It seems like a lot of Canadians don’t feel connected to his leadership anymore, and they don’t trust that he’s being honest.
Many Canadians aren’t happy with Trudeau’s leadership. The huge number of people signing the petition and using #TrudeauMustGo on social media show they want politicians to be more accountable and listen to them.
How the government reacts to the petition and how Trudeau deals with criticism will show how strong Canada’s democracy is. What happens next will depend on if leaders listen to people’s concerns and make changes.
This is a big moment in Canada’s politics because the opinions of over 1% of Canadians can’t be ignored. It shows that what people think and how democracy works is important in deciding where Canada is headed.
