Justin Trudeau’s inner circle presents him with the various possible options

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considering his options after the surprise resignation of Chrystia Freeland on Monday, which led to increased calls for her resignation.

Ms. Freeland resigned as finance minister on the same day she was due to present her government’s fall economic statement and just days after Mr. Trudeau announced he was preparing to strip her the Finance portfolio.

Mr. Trudeau’s decision seems to have had the opposite effect to that expected: calls for the Prime Minister’s resignation arose, notably from several Liberal MPs, the New Democratic leader, Jagmeet Singh, and the editorial team of influential daily newspapers.

During an emergency meeting of the Liberal caucus on Monday evening, Mr. Trudeau promised that he would consider the advice given to him.

A Liberal source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Canadian Press that Prime Minister Trudeau is considering the next steps with his entourage. These reflections include the question of whether he should stay in power or resign.

Mr. Trudeau canceled his end-of-year interviews with the media and he has not yet publicly addressed Ms. Freeland’s departure.

Precarious position

The Liberal leader has resisted calls for his departure for over a year now. However, if the current situation were to make him change his mind, he would have a few options on the table: resign immediately or stay in office until a new leader is chosen.

Both options would likely require a short prorogation of Parliament for a brief leadership race.

Another Liberal source with ties to Mr. Trudeau’s inner circle, who is not in government, said the prime minister’s team was trying to function in such a way as to affirm that it continues to lead.

Chrystia Freeland’s decision eroded much of the confidence of caucus members who complained earlier this fall about the treatment of MPssaid former Liberal staffer Greg MacEachern.

Whatever steps they take now are fraught with pitfalls, as scrutiny of those decisions will be all the more rigorous after what many people see as a mistakehe added.

Limit the damage

If he decides to stay, Mr. Trudeau will have to limit the damage within his caucus – some suggest that at least a third of Liberal MPs now want him to leave.

On Wednesday, New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who was one of the first to call for Mr. Trudeau’s resignation, wrote to the entire caucus callingembarrassing the mismanagement of Ms. Freeland’s resignation. He has criticized the chaos and insularity within the Prime Minister’s inner circle.

The House of Commons is now on holiday recess, giving the Prime Minister a few weeks to decide what to do next before MPs return to Ottawa on January 27.

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On Tuesday evening, Mr. Trudeau spoke at the national Liberal caucus’ end-of-year party in Ottawa, where Ms. Freeland was in attendance. He indirectly referred to Monday’s events, saying the previous days had been eventful.

It hasn’t been easy, and that’s why I’m so happy to see youhe declared, comparing the Liberals to a big family.

Like most families, we sometimes have arguments during the holidays. But of course, like most families, we find a way to work it out.

Freeland’s departure came the same day Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced he would not run in the next election, citing family reasons.

A senior government official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, indicated that Toronto MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was being considered to replace Mr. Fraser at Housing in an upcoming cabinet shuffle.

Currently, several ministers are working double jobs, managing multiple ministries, while a series of others have publicly stated they plan not to run again.

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New ministers, including the one who will get the crucial role of Public Safety, currently occupied by Dominic LeBlanc, will have to know their portfolio by January 20, the date on which Donald Trump officially becomes president of the United States.