He made the announcement on Jan. 6 after weeks of turmoil within the Liberal caucus.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will resign as prime minister and Liberal leader after a replacement is chosen. He also asked Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to prorogue Parliament until March 24, a request Simon granted.
“Last night over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I’m sharing with you today. I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process. Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process,” Trudeau said on Jan. 6.
Trudeau made the announcement after weeks of turmoil within the Liberal caucus, with many MPs publicly calling for his resignation amid declining poll numbers.
Trudeau said he wanted to stay on for the next election, which will be held this year, to compete against Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives who have been surging in the polls, but said the internal conflict in the Liberal Party has made it impossible for him to continue as leader.
“I don’t easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and for the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well-being of our democracy is something that I hold dear,” he said.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I am having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”
Calls for Trudeau’s resignation had escalated after the high-profile resignation of Chrystia Freeland as deputy prime minister and minister of finance on Dec. 16. Trudeau had said he’d take time over the holidays to reflect and decide on his future.
Low Polling, Turmoil
The public calls from within caucus for Trudeau’s ouster first began to surface over the summer after the Liberals lost the longtime stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s to the Conservatives in a byelection, as support in the polls for the Liberals had been waning for months.
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