New leader will not save Canada's Liberals from defeat

Significance Parliament has been prorogued until March 24, giving the Liberals time to hold a leadership contest before an election can be triggered. The opposition parties currently say they will then unite to defeat the Liberal government on a confidence motion at the first opportunity and force a spring election. Impacts The government could lose a confidence vote as early as March 26, triggering the general election. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has pledged to vote against the government even though his party is not well prepared for an election. Trudeau’s move to prorogue parliament will be challenged in court as unconstitutional, although this will not affect the election. The Trudeau government is effectively over in a legislative and policy sense. Canada is on the threshold of what will likely be a decade of right-wing dominance in all spheres of governance.