You remember 2015. It felt different. There was this skinny guy with "Great Hair" promising "Sunny Ways" and everyone—well, a lot of people—actually believed him. Justin Trudeau, the man who would lead Canada for nearly a decade, didn't just walk into 24 Sussex Drive; he bounded in.
But honestly? The way it ended was messy.
By the time January 2025 rolled around, the "Sunny Ways" had turned into a bit of a thunderstorm. If you’ve been following the news lately, you know he’s no longer the guy at the podium. Mark Carney is the Prime Minister now, sworn in back in March 2025. But to understand why Canada looks the way it does today, you have to look at what Justin Trudeau actually did—and what he didn't.
The Justin Trudeau Era: Beyond the Selfies
Most people think of the photos. The socks. The Vogue shoots. But behind that was a massive shift in how the Canadian government spent money.
Trudeau basically bet the house on social safety nets. He brought in the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) which, according to various policy experts like those at Policy Options, actually did move the needle on child poverty. It dropped from about 16% in 2015 to under 10% by 2022. That’s not a small thing. For a lot of families, that was the difference between making rent and not.
Then there was the legal weed.
In 2018, Canada became the first major economy to just... make it legal. It felt like a massive risk at the time. Now? It’s just another shop on the corner, and the government is addicted to the tax revenue. You’ve got to wonder if any future leader would even dare to try and take that back. They won't.
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The Carbon Tax Struggle
This was his hill to die on. Literally.
The carbon tax was meant to be the signature environmental move. But as the cost of living started biting hard in 2023 and 2024, it became a political anchor. People were struggling to pay for groceries, and a tax on home heating felt like a punch in the gut. Even though his successor, Mark Carney, scrapped the consumer portion almost immediately upon taking office in March 2025, the debate over how to fix the climate without breaking the bank is still raging.
What Really Happened in the End?
It wasn't just one thing. It was a slow-motion car crash of housing prices and "incumbent fatigue."
By late 2024, Justin Trudeau was facing a full-on caucus revolt. His Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigned in December. That was the signal. When your right hand walks away, you're usually done.
He announced his resignation on January 6, 2025.
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The stats from that time are brutal. According to Ipsos and Angus Reid, his approval rating had cratered to about 22%. People weren't just tired; they were angry. The housing crisis in cities like Toronto and Vancouver became the defining failure of his later years. If you can't afford a home, it's hard to care about "Sunny Ways."
A Legacy of "Firsts"
He was the first Prime Minister to have a 50% female cabinet. He appointed Mary Simon, the first Indigenous Governor General. He put Michelle O'Bonsawin on the Supreme Court. These weren't just PR moves; they changed the face of the Canadian state forever.
- Social Policy: Massive wins in poverty reduction and dental care.
- Economics: A decade of deficit spending that some say left the country vulnerable to the 2025 trade tensions with the U.S.
- Foreign Policy: He had to navigate the first Trump era, which was basically a four-year exercise in damage control.
The Misconception of the "Easy Win"
People think he won because of his name. Sure, being Pierre Trudeau's son helped. But he took a third-place party in 2015 and dragged them to a majority. That took a specific kind of retail politics that Canada hadn't seen in a generation.
But by 2021, the magic was gone. He called a snap election during the pandemic, hoping for a majority. He didn't get it. He ended up in a power-sharing deal with the NDP's Jagmeet Singh just to keep the lights on. It was a marriage of convenience that lasted until the wheels finally fell off.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for You
Whether you loved him or hated him, the Trudeau years changed the "rules" for what a Canadian leader looks like. Here is what you should keep in mind moving forward:
- Watch the Debt: The fiscal room Trudeau used up means the current government has very little "wiggle room" for new programs. Expect austerity or very targeted spending.
- Social Programs are Here to Stay: Things like the $10-a-day childcare and the dental care plan are very popular. Even a change in government likely won't kill them; they'll just be rebranded.
- Housing is the Only Metric that Matters: If you’re looking at future elections, ignore the "culture war" stuff. The leader who shows a path to affordable homes is the one who wins. Trudeau lost that thread, and it cost him everything.
Trudeau's departure marked the end of a very specific era of "progressive" optimism. Now, Canada is in a much more pragmatic, "how do we pay for this?" phase under Carney.
To stay informed on how the current administration is handling the fallout of the Trudeau-era trade policies, you should regularly check the official Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) website for new policy directives regarding the U.S.-Canada trade relationship. You can also review the 2025 Federal Budget documents to see which of Trudeau's signature programs are being maintained and which are being phased out. Finally, following non-partisan trackers like the Angus Reid Institute will give you the best sense of whether the Canadian public is actually finding relief under the new leadership.