OTTAWA,Canada.Jan 06/BBC/- Under mounting pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his decision to step down, ending his nine-year tenure as leader.
Trudeau stated that he would remain in office until the Liberal Party selects a new leader, and that parliament would be prorogued until March 24.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” he said during a press conference on Monday.
Trudeau’s declining popularity among Canadians had increasingly weighed on his party’s prospects ahead of the federal elections later this year.
“Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I’m sharing with you today,” he told the news conference in Ottawa.
“I intend to resign as party leader and prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” he said.
Sachit Mehra, president of the Liberal Party, announced that a meeting of the party’s board of directors would be held this week to begin the process of selecting a new leader. In a statement, he added: “Liberals across the country are immensely grateful to Justin Trudeau for more than a decade of leadership to our Party and the country.”
“As Prime Minister, his vision delivered transformational progress for Canadians,” he said, citing programs such as the Canada Child Benefit and the establishment of dental care and pharmacare coverage for some medications.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre remarked that “nothing has changed” following Trudeau’s resignation.
“Every Liberal MP and leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years, just like Justin,” Poilievre wrote on X.
Trudeau, 53, had faced growing calls to resign from within his Liberal Party, which intensified in December when Deputy Prime Minister and long-time ally Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned.
In a public resignation letter, Freeland cited US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs on Canadian goods and accused Trudeau of not doing enough to address the “grave challenge” posed by Trump’s proposals.
Trump has promised to impose a 25% tax on imported Canadian goods, which economists warn would significantly harm Canada’s economy unless the country takes steps to increase security on its shared border. Trudeau said on Monday that he had hoped Freeland would continue as deputy prime minister, “but she chose otherwise.”
In response to the threat, Canada has announced sweeping new security measures along its US border.
In an online post, Trump claimed that pressure over tariffs led to Trudeau’s resignation and reiterated his suggestion that Canada should become “the 51st State.”
“If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese ships that are constantly surrounding them,” he wrote.
Since 2019, the Liberal Party has governed as a minority party.
Following Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau lost the backing of parties that had previously helped keep the Liberals in power, including the left-leaning New Democrats, who had a support agreement with the Liberals, and the Quebec nationalist party, Bloc Quebecois.
The largest opposition party, the Conservatives, have maintained a significant double-digit lead over the Liberals in polls for months, suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could face a significant defeat.
Liberals will now choose a new leader to take the party into the next election, which must be held on or before October 20.
A senior government official told the BBC that the race is an open contest and that the Prime Minister’s Office will fully stay out of the process, leaving it to Liberal Party members to decide their future.
Speaking to reporters, Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet suggested that an early election be called once the Liberals choose their new leader.
