Timeline of the Trudeau government after the prime minister’s resignation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the media from his Ottawa residence this morning to announce that he will step down as Liberal leader once his party selects a replacement.

Trudeau says his plan to prorogue Parliament and step aside as Liberal leader will reset the gridlocked House of Commons and reduce the polarization people see in the House of Commons and in society at large.

Trudeau says that when the House of Commons reconvenes, the government will likely face a new vote of confidence.

He says the rules for a Liberal leadership process to replace him will be clarified in the coming weeks and that the government will continue to work for Canadians and protect their interests in the meantime.

Here’s a quick look at the Trudeau government since 2015:

October 19, 2015 – Trudeau is elected

November 4, 2015: Justin Trudeau appoints Jody Wilson Raybould as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the first Indigenous person to hold this position.

December 8, 2015:Trudeau addresses Assembly of First Nationspromising a renewed relationship between nations based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. He makes the following statement: “In your mandate letters I told government ministers that no relationship is more important to me and Canada than the one we have with First Nations, the Métis Nation and Inuit peoples. Let me say it one more time. I give you my word that we will renew and respect that relationship,” to cheers and applause.

December 15, 2015: He Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) publishes its final report. Trudeau commits to implementing all 94 calls to action.

December 30, 2015: Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett reaffirms the Trudeau government’s commitment to ensuring safe drinking water for all First Nations within five years.

January 26, 2016: The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rules that Canada discriminates against First Nations children under the on-reserve child welfare system and the Jordan Principle. The case has been open since February 2007. The liberals will fight the sentence in federal court.

March 22, 2016: In its first federal budget, the Trudeau government allocated approximately $8.4 billion over five years to Indigenous communities.

March 22, 2016: On World Water Day, Trudeau commits approximately $4.6 billion over five years to improve infrastructure, including water and wastewater systems, in Indigenous communities across Canada.

April 2016: Prime Minister Trudeau visits Shoal Lake #40 First Nation, a community that had been under a boil water advisory for nearly two decades, as part of a VICE Canada documentary titled “Cut-Off.”

June 3, 2016: Trudeau participates in a one-on-one interview with APTN National News, marking the first time the network and indigenous media have interviewed a sitting Prime Minister.

August 28, 2017: Trudeau announces the dissolution of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and creates two new departments: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada. This restructuring aims to promote the self-determination of indigenous peoples. The announcement takes indigenous leaders by surprise.

February 14, 2018: Trudeau announces the development of a new legal framework to recognize and implement Indigenous rights, with the aim of strengthening relations between the Crown and Indigenous people. While supported by Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, the framework raises suspicions among some chiefs and becomes a source of controversy in the July 2018 Assembly of First Nations elections.

March 19, 2019: The Trudeau government’s fourth federal budget announces its commitment to forgive outstanding loans for First Nations land claims negotiations totaling $1.4 billion. It was one of 24 measures for indigenous peoples, for a total of approximately $4.7 billion.

June 21, 2019: The Indigenous Languages ​​Act receives royal approval, with the aim of supporting the revitalization of indigenous languages.

June 3, 2019: The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) releases its final report, calling the violence a “Canadian genocide.” Trudeau acknowledges the report and commits to implementing a national action plan.

September 6, 2019: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders federal government to compensate First Nations children removed under discriminatory child welfare practices and those denied Jordan Principle money.

October 4, 2019: Trudeau government announces plans to appeal CHRT compensation order.

January 14, 2019: Jody Wilson-Raybould is removed from her position as Minister of Justice and reassigned as Minister of Veterans Affairs.

September 29, 2021: Federal Court upholds CHRT decision requiring compensation for First Nations children harmed by discriminatory child welfare practices and the Jordan Principle.

September 30, 2021: The first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is observed. The controversy arises as Trudeau is vacationing in Tofino, British Columbia, instead of attending official events.

December 31, 2021: Government announces $40 billion agreement in principle to compensate First Nations children and families and reform the child welfare system. The Jordan Principle will be negotiated in 2025.

April 5, 2023: A revised $23 billion deal is reached to compensate those harmed by discriminatory funding of the First Nations Children and Family Services program.

July 27, 2023: CHRT approves $23 billion settlement, marking historic moment in addressing child welfare issues.

December 11, 2023: Bill C-61 – An act on water, water sources, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations lands was introduced in Parliament. With the prorogation of Parliament, the bill is on hold.

April 2024, The government committed a total of approximately $9 billion over five years to Indigenous initiatives, with $2.9 billion identified for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

November 23, 2024: Federal government apologizes and provides $45 million in compensation to Nunavik Inuit for historic sled dog killings.

Trudeau says his government will focus squarely on combating tariffs threatened by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and says it will be in the best interest of everyone in the country for the government to take that threat seriously.

He says that if he regrets anything about his mandate, it is not having changed the electoral rules when he had the opportunity.

Trudeau says that if those changes were implemented, people would look for things they had in common rather than trying to “polarize and divide Canadians,” but that his party couldn’t unilaterally change the system.

Trudeau was asked by reporters if his December decision to remove Chrystia Freeland as finance minister and her subsequent resignation was the catalyst for his departure.

He says Freeland has been by his side for almost 10 years and calls her an “incredible political partner” who he hoped would have agreed to continue serving in his government.

Before Trudeau began speaking to reporters this morning, the speech he had prepared was blown away by the wind.

Trudeau says he intends to resign as party leader and prime minister after his party elects a new leader.

He says Governor-General Mary Simon has accepted his request to prorogue Parliament, saying the House of Commons will not meet until March 24.

Trudeau says he made the decision to resign after speaking with his family over the holidays, and that part of the reason was so Canadians would have a “real choice” in the next election.

Citing “internal battles” within his group, Trudeau says he is not the best choice for that race, despite being a “fighter” driven by his love for Canada and his desire to serve Canadians.

With files from the Canadian Press.