Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is resigning

Under mounting pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will step down and end his nine-year tenure as leader.

Trudeau said he would remain in office until his Liberal Party elects a new leader and that Parliament would be suspended – or suspended – until March 24.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I have to fight the internal battles, I cannot be the best option in this election,” he said during a news conference on Monday.

Trudeau’s personal unpopularity with Canadians has become a growing drag on his party ahead of federal elections later this year.

“Last night at dinner I told my children about the decision I’m sharing with you today,” he said at a press conference in Ottawa.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party elects its next leader through a credible nationwide competitive process,” he said.

Liberal Party president Sachit Mehra said the party’s board of directors would meet this week to begin the process of choosing a new leader.

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In a statement, he added: “Liberals across the country are immensely grateful to Justin Trudeau for more than a decade of leadership for our party and country.”

“As prime minister, his vision has brought transformational progress to Canadians,” he said, referring to programs his government has implemented, such as Canada’s Child Benefit and the creation of dental care and pharmaceutical insurance for certain drugs.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said “nothing has changed” since Trudeau’s resignation.

“Every single Liberal MP and leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years and now they want to cheat voters by impersonating another Liberal to continue ripping off Canadians for 4 more years just like Justin,” Poulieuver wrote on X .

Trudeau, 53, has faced growing calls to quit his Liberal Party, which intensified in December when Deputy Prime Minister and longtime ally Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned.

In a public statement of resignation, Freeland quoted US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian goodsand accused Trudeau of not doing enough to address the “serious problem” posed by Trump’s proposals.

Trump has vowed to impose a 25% tax on imported Canadian goods – which economists have warned would severely damage Canada’s economy – unless the country takes steps to improve security at its shared border.

On Monday, Trudeau said he had hoped Freeland would stay on as deputy prime minister, “but she decided otherwise.”

Canada has since announced that it will implement new security measures along the country’s border with the United States in response to the threat.

In an online message, Trump said pressure from the tariffs led to Trudeau’s resignation and repeated his taunt that Canada should become the “51st state.”

“If Canada united with the US, there would be no tariffs, taxes would be greatly reduced, and they would be COMPLETELY SAFE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese ships that constantly surround them,” he wrote.

Since 2019, the Liberal Party has governed as a minority party.

After Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau lost the support of the parties that had previously helped keep the Liberals in power – the left-wing New Democrats, who entered into a support agreement with the Liberals, and Quebec’s nationalist Bloc Québécois party.

The largest opposition party, the Conservatives, have maintained a significant double-digit lead over the Liberals in the polls for months – suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals would face a landslide defeat.

The Liberals will now choose a new leader to take the party into the next election, which is due to be held on or before October 20.

A senior government official told the BBC that the race was an open contest and that the Prime Minister’s Office would stay out of the process entirely, leaving Liberal Party members to decide their future.

Speaking to reporters, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet suggested calling early elections as soon as the Liberals choose a new leader.

Trudeau is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who dominated the country’s politics in the 1970s and 80s.

The younger Trudeau became prime minister after the Liberal Party won a landslide majority in 2015 amid a promise to usher in a new, progressive era of “Sunshine Ways.”

His track record includes a commitment to gender equality in his cabinet, which is still 50% female; progress in reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous peoples; introduction of a national carbon tax; introduction of tax-free child benefit to families; and the legalization of recreational cannabis.

National Assembly of First Nations Chair Cindy Woodhouse Nepinock praised Trudeau’s record on Indigenous issues after his resignation, saying in a statement that he has “taken significant steps to address issues that are important to First Nations.”

“While there is still much work to be done, these actions have laid the foundation for the next government.”

Trudeau’s government has been clouded in recent years by a series of scandals, often self-inflicted, including a dispute over a deal with a Canadian firm accused of corruption and photos of the prime minister wearing brownface makeup. .

Vaccine mandates and other restrictions have also met with backlash from some Canadians, leading to Freedom Convoy truck protests in early 2022. In the end, Trudeau used unprecedented emergency powers to remove the protesters.

As Canada began to emerge from the pandemic, housing and food prices skyrocketed, and its government abandoned ambitious immigration targets as public services began to show strain.

By the end of 2024, Trudeau’s approval ratings were at their lowest, with only 22% of Canadians saying they thought he was doing a good job. according to one poll tracker.

In Ottawa, a small group of protesters danced outside Parliament Hill to celebrate his resignation.

However, one bystander said he thought things were going well under Trudeau’s watch.

“I’m a carpenter,” James Gamara, from British Columbia, told the BBC. “I do my own thing, I get paid, I pay my bills. Everything was fine.”

Another Canadian, Maris Kasivy, said it felt like the end of an era. When asked if she felt a hint of sadness, she said, “No.”

– That’s right.