Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be stepping down, marking the end of a pivotal era in Canadian history

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be stepping down, marking the end of a pivotal era in Canadian history, likely the most eventful and probably the most productive as well. 

Under this Prime Minister, we saw Canada's highest-ever employment rate, drastic reductions in child poverty, and the largest-ever expansions in healthcare, with pharmacare and dentalcare. We introduced a Canada-wide early learning and childcare program, a national school food program and made it so that Canadian college and university students no longer pay interest on their student loans. We should be proud that we are the most environmentally forward-thinking government ever, and that Justin Trudeau was the first Prime Minister to make reconciliation with Indigenous peoples a sincere priority. 

There was no playbook for manoeuvring a country through a global pandemic, but Canada's response to both the public health emergency and the economic downturn that followed, continue to be regarded as world-class.

 I haven't always agreed with the Prime Minister, but he has always respected debate and the lost art of disagreeing without being disagreeable - which not every leader has the humility to do. That said, I didn’t put my name on a ballot to support a prime minister. I’m in politics to serve and support my community, and that’s what I will continue to do. I’ve maintained that the decision to stay or not was his to make, at the right time. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been, but I agree with him that the time for a new leader is here.

 

This is a challenging time, but it's also a great opportunity for what politics should be all about - a big contest of ideas. With a leadership contest, Canadians will have the chance to weigh-in on new policies and plans that will shape and guide Canada into the future.

 

I'd like to sincerely thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his contributions to Canada. There isn't a more challenging job, especially these days. But like a good canoe tripper, Justin Trudeau left this campsite better than he found it - and I am truly grateful.

Adam van Koeverden