Justin Trudeau to resign? 5 BIG controversies involving Canadian PM – from sticking his tongue out to Bohemian Rhapsody

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly expected to announce his resignation as Liberal Party Leader, The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday, citing three sources.

A source spoke to Reuters after The Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau might announce as early as Monday that he would step down as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party after nine years in office.

Trudeau sticks his tongue out in Parliament

In October 2023, Trudeau faced criticism over his gesture towards the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons. In a widely shared video on the internet, Trudeau was seen sticking his tongue out and winking at the Speaker.

When Speaker Greg Fergus introduced Trudeau as an ‘honourable Prime Minister’, he corrected the Speaker and said “very honourable” and he winked.

Canada's House of Commons had elected Greg Fergus as its new speaker, making him the first Black Canadian to hold the position.

Bohemian Rhapsody before Queen's funeral

In September 2022, Trudeau sparked fury among Britons for singing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in a hotel lobby two days ahead of Queen Elizabeth II ’s funeral.

During his stay at The Corinthia Hotel in London, Trudeau was captured singing a song by the rock band Queen.

Critics had accused the PM of a lack of respect, but Justin Trudeau's team defended the singing, saying, “The prime minister has taken part in various activities to pay his respects for the Queen.”

Holiday at a rich friend's resort

In 2016, Trudeau was again embroiled in controversy over a holiday he took on the private island of billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader Aga Khan.

Trudeau and his family were guests at the Aga Khan's home in the Bahamas at the new year. The ethics watchdog first censured Trudeau in December 2017, saying that the prime minister broke some conflict-of-interest rules.

The incident led Trudeau to face an investigation.

The Aga Khan's foundation was formally registered to lobby Trudeau and his officials, according to Reuters. Trudeau had said he accepted the report and would clear future vacations with the watchdog.

Breached Ethics Rules

In August 2019, Canada's ethics watchdog said that Trudeau's team violated ethics rules. The office of the independent ethics commissioner found that Trudeau and his officials had attempted to influence federal prosecutors in 2018 to prevent a corruption trial for the construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.

Trudeau accepted full responsibility for his actions but chose not to apologise. “I take full responsibility,” he said, explaining that he acted to protect jobs. Trudeau is the only Canadian prime minister formally found to have breached ethics rules.

The Jaspal Atwal Row

During his India visit in 2018, a major row erupted when a Canada-based Khalistani activist, Jaspal Atwal, convicted in the attempted murder of a Punjab Minister in 1986, was invited to two events organised for the Canadian PM, in Mumbai and Delhi.

Atwal was photographed with Trudeau's now estranged wife, Sophie Gregoire, and other senior officials at the event in Mumbai, which was part of Trudeau's first state visit to India.

Atwal was found guilty of trying to kill a Punjab minister and was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Atwal was a Sikh separatist active in the banned International Sikh Youth Federation when he was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu in Vancouver in 1986.