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Canada’s Trudeau will reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday amid…

Canada’s Trudeau will reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday amid…

TORONTO (AP) – In trouble Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will reshuffle his cabinet on Friday, two senior officials familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The officials confirmed the reshuffle and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Trudeau faces growing discontent on his leadership, and the sudden departure from his finance minister on Monday might be something he won’t be able to recover from.

A growing number of Liberal lawmakers are calling on Trudeau to resign, but new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday that Trudeau has “the full support of his Cabinet.”

LeBlanc said he respects the views of Liberal lawmakers who want Trudeau to resign.

“It’s a point of view that they express. The Prime Minister listened carefully when this view was expressed to him,” LeBlanc said. “He listened, responded in some cases to specific points that were raised, and he said he would think carefully about it.”

LeBlanc said the government would remain focused on work and respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose a tariff of 25% on all Canadian products when it is launched next month.

“We shouldn’t look inward. We shouldn’t worry about ourselves,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc said he would meet Tom HomanTrump’s new “border czar” after Christmas to discuss Canada’s plan to secure the border in a bid to avoid tariffs.

Trudeau led the country for almost a decade, but became widely unpopular in recent years on a wide range of issues, including the high cost of living and rising inflation.

There is no mechanism for Trudeau’s party to expel him in the short term. He could resign, or his Liberal Party could be driven from power by a “no confidence” vote in Parliament that would trigger an election that would most likely favor the opposing Conservative Party.

As a growing number of Liberal lawmakers called for Trudeau’s resignation this week, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said, “We all need to give him some time to think.” »

Concerns about Trudeau’s leadership were heightened Monday when Chrystia Freeland, finance minister and Trudeau’s deputy prime minister, resigned from Cabinet. Freeland sharply criticized Trudeau’s handling of the economy in the face of high tariffs threatened by Trump. Shortly before Freeland announced her decision, the housing minister also resigned.

Because Trudeau’s Liberals do not hold an absolute majority in Parliament, they have for years depended on the support of the left-wing New Democratic Party to pass laws and stay in power. But that support has all but disappeared — the NDP leader has called on Trudeau to resign — and that could pave the way for Parliament to pass a motion of no confidence.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, however, would not commit to overthrowing the government at the first opportunity, in part because Trump could impose crippling tariffs and Parliament might have to respond with retaliatory tariffs.

Parliament is now closed for recess until the end of next month, and a “no confidence” vote could be scheduled afterward.

LeBlanc also said Marc Carney will not join the Cabinet. Trudeau is trying to recruit Carney, the former head of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada, to join his government. Carney has long wanted to enter politics and become leader of the Liberal Party.

“Mr. Carney is not poised to become Canada’s finance minister in the short term,” LeBlanc said. “The Prime Minister has asked me to begin this work and prepare a budget in the spring.”