‘It’s time:’ Residents in Justin Trudeau’s Montreal riding react to his resignation

MONTREAL — Justin Trudeau has started each of his three terms as prime minister the same way: visiting Montreal’s Jarry metro station the morning after the election to personally thank the residents of his riding for their support.

The multi-ethnic Papineau riding spans several Montreal neighbourhoods. It is filled with apartment buildings, rows of multiplexes with winding metal staircases and commercial areas featuring mom-and-pop stores and restaurants serving food from all over the world.

The densely populated and diverse riding has voted for Trudeau since 2008, often resoundingly. But on Monday, shortly after he had announced he would step down as Liberal leader and prime minister, the people out in Papineau’s shops and streets expressed mixed feelings about his leadership, with many supporting his decision to resign.

Faisal Amin, owner of a fruit and vegetable store on Hutchison Street, said he’s a big fan of Trudeau on a personal level but thinks it’s time for him to go.

“He’s a good guy and I like him, but economically we are very, very stressed,” said Amin, who met Trudeau at a Greek community parade in the riding four years ago. “In this situation I think it’s better to resign and give other people, another guy (a chance) to perform.”

Amin said there are too many immigrants for too few jobs, and that people have become depressed, especially since COVID-19. “We can’t say it’s completely his fault, but it’s time,” he said.

Faced with dire polling numbers and increasing pressure from within his own caucus, Trudeau said Monday he will resign as Liberal leader and prime minister as soon as a new party leader is chosen. He said he met with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who agreed to his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

Several people who spoke with The Canadian Press on a cold January Monday in the Papineau riding said they liked Trudeau — or once had — but felt he had no choice but to resign given his loss of support. Some criticized his handling of the economy and — even in a riding where many were born outside Canada — said he lost control over immigration.

Eric Tremblay, who stopped to talk on his way into a grocery store, said he was saddened by the resignation and by how it came about. He felt Trudeau had been a good prime minister, for the most part. “He was basically kicked out,” Tremblay said. “That’s sad for any leader.”

Within a group of four friends gathered outside a Tim Hortons on Jean-Talon Boulevard, opinion was divided. Victor Pham proclaimed Trudeau was “still the best in Canada,” praising him for increasing financial aid to people, especially to families with young children. One of his companions, however, said Trudeau’s immigration policies had caused rents to soar, adding that he had previously voted Liberal but was planning to support Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives next election.

At a dog run in Jarry Park, Isabelle Chicoine said she had voted for Trudeau in the past but felt the prime minister has lost the confidence of the public, especially since the resignation last month of Chrystia Freeland, who was finance minister.

But Lana Hammo, another dog park visitor, said Canadians deserve better than what they’ve experienced under Trudeau. She said she and her husband are debating leaving the country because of a number of factors, including the rising cost of living and the poor state of services, such as health care.

Compared to when she arrived in 2009, Canada no longer provides good value for the taxes working people pay, she said. “Maybe the next prime minister is going to serve Canadians better, as they really deserve,” she said.

At the entrance to Jarry metro, where Trudeau once greeted adoring crowds clamouring for selfies, there was only a well-dressed older man holding a cup, soliciting change from people riding the escalators. That man, who gave his name as Richard, said he had once been brushed off by Trudeau’s constituency office when he had gone in asking for help.

“I’m happy he’s leaving,” he said of Trudeau, adding that he would be casting his vote for the Bloc Québécois, as he’d done in previous elections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press