Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he would step down as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party amid growing opposition to his leadership.
“The fact is that despite all efforts to resolve this, Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history,” Trudeau said in a televised address outside his home in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. city. “I intend to step down as party leader, as prime minister, after the party has chosen its next leader through a credible, nationally competitive process.”
Trudeau said Canada's parliament will stand down until a new leader is elected. It will resume at the end of March, allowing for a race for the leadership of the Liberal Party.
“This morning I told the Governor General that we need a new session of Parliament,” he said. “She granted that request and the House will be adjourned until March 24.”
Trudeau, a former high school teacher and son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, became prime minister in 2015 after his Liberal Party won a decisive majority in parliament. The Liberal Party won two more consecutive elections in 2019 and 2021, but lost the popular vote, requiring him to form a minority government with the left-wing opposition party, leaving his party dependent on allies for legislation.
At his news conference on Monday, Trudeau called for a more united political climate and proposed changes to Canada's electoral process that would allow voters to seek “common ground rather than polarizing and dividing Canadians against each other.” He said the failure to change the process during his term was “particularly regrettable” leading up to the next election.
Why is Justin Trudeau resigning?
Trudeau's leadership has faced significant challenges in the wake of the COVID crisis, resulting in a loss of trust among Canadians from all walks of life. Key issues such as housing affordability, the rising cost of living and high levels of immigration have contributed to widespread disillusionment. This growing frustration led Trudeau's Liberals to call for his resignation.
The sudden resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Dec. 16 further complicated Trudeau's political landscape and threw his Liberal Party into disarray, renewing calls for him to step down.
In an explosive resignation letter posted online, Freeland said she and the prime minister “disagree on the best path forward for Canada.” His housing minister resigned a week earlier.
Asked about Freeland's departure, which some saw as the catalyst for Trudeau's resignation announcement, the prime minister said he had hoped Freeland would agree to remain in his cabinet as deputy prime minister, “but she chose other”. Trudeau declined to share more details about their “private conversations.”
Trudeau made a last-ditch effort to reshuffle his cabinet, hoping to add some stability to his government, but that too failed.
This was reported by the Toronto Star and appr published on December 16 that Trudeau “seems more concerned with his own survival than the national interest”, urging him to step down “for his legacy, his party and his country”.
Neither does the Toronto Police Association said in a Dec. 17 social media post that he had lost faith in the Trudeau government, saying it was “time to step down and leave these critical public safety issues to someone else.”
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party and a one-time Trudeau ally, has threatened to topple the minority Liberal government in a vote of no confidence at the next meeting unless he resigns.
“Justin Trudeau has failed at the prime minister's greatest job: to work for the people, not for those in power,” Singh said in an interactive statement.
Trump's Tariff Threat
Calls for Trudeau's resignation intensified after US President-elect Donald Trump announced the potential 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico unless they take tougher measures against illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Trump has taken aim at Trudeau and Canada in recent days, and the president-elect seems to be joking Canada became the 51st state with Trudeau as governor.
Some of Trudeau's critics suggested he couldn't resist Trump's economic pressure and bullying.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for early elections, while Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet warned it would be “absolutely irresponsible” to remain in such a volatile situation under Trudeau.
Polls to show Trudeau's Liberal Party trails the Conservatives by 20 points with the upcoming election in October.
