Justin Trudeau’s Post-Prime Minister Life: Main Facts to Know (2 of 5)

A Brief Respite

The elder Trudeau left office in 1984, allowing Justin to live a semi-normal adolescence and early adulthood existence free of pressures. He held a low-key job as a school teacher and had even told CTV in 1995 that he had no interest in entering politics. However, in 2008 his tune had changed, and he ended up winning a seat in Montreal by a narrow margin. Just seven years later, the 44-year-old became the second youngest Canadian prime minister in history, a position he would hold for nearly a decade.

The End of a Political Career

Among the Canadian public and even within the leadership of the NDP, it was evident through the waning months of 2024 that Justin Trudeau had outstayed his welcome as prime minister and head of the party. The Liberals had lost a pair of byelections, and Trudeau’s approval ratings had plummeted even as Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s had soared. The nail in the coffin appeared to be the late 2024 resignation of Chrystia Freeland, a long-time senior minister who cited heavy disagreement with Trudeau as her reason. It also didn’t help when a woman who recognized him at a ski resort that Christmas told him in not-so-polite terms that he was not welcome in B.C. Trudeau would tender his resignation in January, with Mark Carney succeeding him two months later.