The crew change in Canada

Justin Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. Justin Pierre James Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was also a prime minister. His maternal grandfather James Sinclair served as minister of fisheries in the cabinet of Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent.

Justin studied at McGill University and the University of British Columbia’s education program. He became a  teacher in Vancouver,  teaching French, math, and other subjects. He started his career at West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver in 1998 and later worked as a teacher-on-call for the Vancouver School Board

In 2007, he won the Liberal Party nomination in the Montréal riding of Papineau. He got  elected in 2008, and re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2021. In April 2013, Justin contested and won the election to become the Leader of the Liberal Party. On October 19, 2015, Justin led his party to victory, winning a majority government with seats in every province and territory across the country. He was sworn in on November 4, 2015. He became the Prime Minister at  43 years old becoming the second-youngest person elected to the role. ( The youngest is Joe Clark, who was just thirty-nine when he replaced Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the 1979 election.)

On October 21, 2019, he led the Liberal Party to re-election, earning a second mandate from Canadians. On September 20, 2021, Justin once again led the party to re-election, earning a third mandate to govern from Canadians. in 2025,  Justin announced his resignation as Prime Minister.

As Prime Minister, Justin will be remembered in diverse ways. I will remember him for his policies on immigration, his support during Covid-19 and being the first Prine Minister that appointed Canada’s first gender-balanced Cabinet. He transformed Canada in significant ways. His move from being a teacher to becoming a legislator and then a minister and Prime Minister is also a testament that anyone can aspire to lead Canada. In how many countries will a teacher become the Prime Minister?

Today, Liberal Leader Mark Carney will be sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister replacing outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Carney won 86 percent of the votes and became the Leader of the liberal Party on Sunday, March 9, 2025 . Mark Carney becomes Canada’s 24th prime minister.

Mark Carney is a unique prime minister because he does not have a seat in the House of Commons,  and he has never held political office before. But he was the  governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England and served as an economic and financial advisor to both Conservative and Liberal governments. Mark Carney was the first non-British person to become governor of the Bank of England in its more than 300-year history when he took the job in 2013.

Carney needs a lot of support as Prime Minister. Once the legislator resumes later this month, there will be demands on him including an early vote of confidence. While Canada’s next federal election is scheduled for this October, Carney may call for an election earlier than October.  I wish him all the best and pray that he works for the good of all.

 Yomi Fawehinmi is the Chair of the Southwest chapter of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in Ontario, Canada, former Council member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) of Nigeria, Change management expert, human resources professional, award-winning author and consultant.