Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may step down for a few days, media reports say

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may announce his resignation within days, according to media reports.

He is considering resigning as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, which could end his nine-year tenure as prime minister.

Last month his finance minister quit, citing policy differences such as how to deal with Donald Trump's threat to impose US tariffs on Canadian goods.

Trudeau's popularity has also fallen sharply among voters, and polls suggest his party will lose the general election this year.

I The Globe and Mail reports that he may announce his intention to leave before his party's caucus meets on Wednesday, to avoid the perception that his MPs are forcing him out.

Their sources said it is unclear whether Trudeau will leave immediately or continue as prime minister until a new leader is chosen.

And they emphasized that he has yet to make a final decision about his future.

Whoever takes over will have to lead the party through an election campaign while navigating a potential trade war with the US.

The election must be held before October, but a change in the leadership of the Liberal Party could increase calls for a snap vote in the coming months.

Trudeau's departure will end a defining era in Canadian politics.

He swept his team by surprise in 2015, winning a campaign that started with them in third place.

The young, fresh-faced leader, then 43, promised a new kind of politics focused on an open immigration policy, higher taxes on the rich and a fight against climate change.

But his first term was full of scandals. In recent years, he has struggled with declining popularity as frustration grows over the cost of living and his style of governance.

A number of Liberal MPs in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada have called for him to step down, and polls suggest two-thirds of voters reject him.

Only 26% of respondents to a September Ipsos poll said Trudeau was the prime minister's choice, putting him 19 points behind Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

History is not on Trudeau's side either, with only two prime ministers having served four consecutive terms.

Poilievre rose to the top of his party in 2022 with a promise to lower taxes, tackle inflation and protect individual freedoms.

The 45-year-old student also supported the Freedom Convoy truck drivers protesting the Covid-19 lockdown that has brought Canadian cities including Ottawa.

Canada's next prime minister will have to face the threat of tariffs from American President Donald Trump.

He has vowed to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if the country does not protect its shared border from the flow of irregular migrants and illegal drugs.

The “significant challenge” raised was mentioned in the resignation letter of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who left hours before she was due to present her budget for the year.

He said Trudeau had informed him that he no longer wanted him to be his government's top economic advisor.