Ex-Trudeau adviser casts doubt on Canadian PM's future after Trump floats Wayne Gretzky idea

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A former top adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a grim outlook on the world leader’s political future, days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump floated NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as a possible replacement.

A countdown started earlier this month on Trudeau’s days in office after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from his cabinet. On Friday, Trudeau’s former chief adviser Gerry Butts thought it was "unlikely" that Trudeau would lead the Liberal Party in the next election.

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US President Donald Trump (L) talks with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the plenary session of the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Butts wrote in a Substack newsletter that Freeland’s resignation was a big blow for the party, and it could mean that Trudeau's political fate is sealed.

"If, as is now widely expected, Mr. Trudeau's resignation is imminent, the only way forward is a real leadership race," Butts wrote, via The Canadian Press.

"If you want to know who can play hockey, put on a hockey game. It doesn't matter who you think you support at this moment, we'll all have a more seasoned view if we see these people in live action."

Butts served as Trudeau’s principal secretary when he won election in 2015. His strong words came days after Trump teased Canada over its political turmoil, even floating Gretzky as a possible replacement for Trudeau.

"I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One as he is known in Ice Hockey circles. I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime