Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political options have narrowed after the leader of a small party that has helped keep his Liberal minority government in power said on Friday (Dec 20) he would present a formal motion of no-confidence in parliament.

The House of Commons is on winter break until Jan 27, but the statement from New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh was a potentially term-ending blow at the end of a bad week for Trudeau. He has been under pressure since Monday, when Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland posted a stinging resignation letter on X.

If all opposition parties back the no-confidence motion, an election will take place. A string of polls over the last 18 months show the Liberals, suffering from voter fatigue and anger over high prices and a housing crisis, would be soundly defeated by the right-of-centre Conservatives.

Here is a timeline of key events charting Trudeau's fortunes over nearly a decade in Canadian politics:

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