CPrime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, following months of pressure from his colleagues to resign due to unsatisfactory public approval ratings.
“I intend to step down as the leader of the party as prime minister, after the party has chosen its next leader through a strong nationally competitive process,” Trudeau said at a press conference Monday morning outside his home in Ottawa. “This country deserves a real election in the next election and it is clear to me that if I have to fight internal battles I will not be the best person in the election.”
The Globe and Mail first reported on Sunday that Trudeau would step down as party leader this week ahead of a key party caucus on Wednesday, citing three unnamed sources. (Reuters also reported on Trudeau's imminent resignation, citing an independent source.) Those sources told the Canadian paper that it was unclear whether Trudeau would step down as prime minister immediately or stay on until a new party leader was chosen.
Trudeau on Monday confirmed he will remain in office as Liberal Party leader and prime minister until a successor is chosen, meaning he will lead Canada through the first months of Donald Trump's presidency, including navigating tense trade talks and potential threats from the United States. Countries. Trudeau announced that the Canadian Parliament will be suspended until March 24 to give his Liberal Party time to choose a new leader.
Trudeau's resignation comes ahead of a parliamentary election due in October 2025, but could be held earlier if the House of Commons passes a no-confidence motion to dissolve the ruling Liberal government.
Why did Trudeau step down?
Trudeau's nine-year tenure as Canadian Prime Minister has come under strain, with two-thirds of Canadians disapproving of his performance, amid frustrations with the cost of living and record levels of immigration. The Liberal Party now trails the opposition Conservative Party by more than 20 percentage points and voter support has fallen to a record low by the end of 2024.
The party has no direct value in Parliament and relies on support from the left-leaning New Democratic Party through the supply and confidence agreement, which the NDP dropped in September. The separatist Bloc Quebecois also threw its support behind the Liberals in October, with its leader saying it wants to topple Trudeau's government. The moves, along with recent by-election losses in former Liberal strongholds, pressured party members to hold a closed-door caucus meeting in late October in Ottawa, where they called on Trudeau to resign.
Pressure on Trudeau has grown further following the shock resignation of Dis. 16 to one of his closest allies, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, after trying to depose him. In his resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of “costly political tactics” for plans to cancel the sales tax and issue $250 Christmas checks. Freeland said Canada needs to keep its “cash powder dry” ahead of a possible trade war amid Trump's threat to slap a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.
Trudeau has since reshuffled his Cabinet, but the prospect of an early election increased after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a letter on December 20 saying his party would “vote to bring this government down” and put forward a motion of no confidence. . “Justin Trudeau has let you down time and time again,” Singh wrote in a statement after Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday. “It doesn't matter who leads the Liberals. They don't deserve another chance.”
For many, Trudeau's resignation marks the end of an era in Canadian politics. She rose to national prominence as leader of the Liberal Party in 2013, inheriting the political legacy of her father, Pierre Trudeau, who served as prime minister for nearly 16 years.
However, Trudeau's legacy remains complex. His term in office will be remembered for progressive policies, including the legalization of marijuana, a national child care program that lowered the fee to $10 a day, and a liberal immigration policy. But his struggle to manage the economic and political challenges of recent years has overshadowed many of his achievements.
During a press conference on Monday, Trudeau said he regrets running for the next election: that he did not change the electoral system to selective voting, which he promised to do and which he believed would reduce political divisions. “People would look at the things they have in common, instead of trying to divide Canadians and divide each other,” he said of allowing Canadians to choose a second or third choice in the vote.
What might happen next?
The Liberal Party constitution states that if she resigns, the party's board of directors, in consultation with the caucus, must appoint an “interim leader.”
But time may not be on the Liberals' side in choosing a replacement for Trudeau, with the incoming Trump administration and the upcoming general election. The party's constitution states that candidates must submit their nominations at least 90 days before the scheduled leadership vote. But it also says the party's board can change the date of the leadership vote and “alter any plans already made” if three-quarters of its voting members “decide that political conditions require the date to be rescheduled.”
Among the Liberal candidates listed as potential successors to Trudeau as party leader are Freeland; new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc; Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly; Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne; and Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand.
Trudeau may also ask Governor General Mary Simon, who represents Canada's monarch, to move — in fact pause — Parliament to delay the no-confidence vote, although the move could face legal hurdles.
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