Justin Trudeau: 23rd Prime Minister of Canada

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25 December 1971
Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born ) is a Canadian politician who led the Liberal Party of Canada from 2013 to 2025 and served as Prime Minister from 4 Novemb…
4 November 2015
Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born 25 December 1971) is a Canadian politician who led the Liberal Party of Canada from 2013 to 2025 and served as Prime Minist…
6 January 2025
Facing declining poll numbers and caucus pressure following Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation in December 2024, Trudeau announced on that he…

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In February 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to clear "Freedom Convoy" protesters blockading downtown Ottawa and several Canada–U.S. border crossings.

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Timeline

25 December 1971

Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born ) is a Canadian politician who led the Liberal Party of Canada from 2013 to 2025 and served as Prime Minister from 4 Novemb…

4 November 2015

Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born 25 December 1971) is a Canadian politician who led the Liberal Party of Canada from 2013 to 2025 and served as Prime Minist…

6 January 2025

Facing declining poll numbers and caucus pressure following Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation in December 2024, Trudeau announced on that he…

Research it like a delegate

Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born 25 December 1971) is a Canadian politician who led the Liberal Party of Canada from 2013 to 2025 and served as Prime Minister from 4 November 2015 onward. He is the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and represented the Montreal riding of Papineau in the House of Commons from 2008.

Trudeau came to power after the 2015 federal election, in which the Liberals moved from third-party status to a majority government. His subsequent governments after the 2019 and 2021 elections were minorities; the 2021 to 2025 Parliament operated under a confidence-and-supply agreement with Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party.

Key policy actions during his tenure included:

Legalization of recreational cannabis through the Cannabis Act (in force October 2018).
Renegotiation of NAFTA into the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA/USMCA), signed 2018 and in force July 2020.
Imposition of a federal carbon pricing backstop, upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in References re Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (2021).
Resettlement of Syrian refugees beginning in 2015–2016.
Invocation of the Emergencies Act in February 2022 in response to the "Freedom Convoy" protests in Ottawa — the first use of that statute since its 1988 enactment.
A formal apology and compensation framework related to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concerning Indian residential schools.

His foreign policy emphasized a self-described "feminist" approach, support for Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion, and increasingly strained relations with India after his September 2023 statement in the House of Commons alleging Indian government involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Facing declining poll numbers and caucus pressure following Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation in December 2024, Trudeau announced on 6 January 2025 that he would step down as Liberal leader and prime minister upon selection of a successor.

Frequently asked questions

When did Justin Trudeau become Prime Minister of Canada?

He was sworn in on 4 November 2015 after the Liberal Party won a majority in the October 2015 federal election.

Why did Trudeau resign as Liberal leader?

Following Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's December 2024 resignation, poor polling against the Conservatives, and pressure from his caucus, he announced on 6 January 2025 that he would step down once a successor was chosen.

What is Justin Trudeau's relationship to Pierre Trudeau?

Justin is the eldest son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who served as Prime Minister from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984.

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Frequently asked questions

When did Justin Trudeau become Prime Minister of Canada?

Why did Trudeau resign as Liberal leader?

What is Justin Trudeau's relationship to Pierre Trudeau?

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Take Justin Trudeau beyond the glossary

Frequently asked questions

When did Justin Trudeau become Prime Minister of Canada?

Why did Trudeau resign as Liberal leader?

What is Justin Trudeau's relationship to Pierre Trudeau?