Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he will step down as both party leader and prime minister once a replacement for him is selected. He cited “internal battles” within Canada’s ruling Liberal Party that have made it impossible for him to lead it into the next election, scheduled for October this year.
Trudeau made an announcement at his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday, following weeks of mounting pressure from his own Liberal caucus and a dramatic decline in national poll numbers.
“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,” Trudeau stated.
Read more: Amazon confirms Melania Trump documentary
A general election must be held on or before October 20.
Trudeau announced that he has requested the president of the Liberal Party to initiate the process of choosing a new leader.
He also requested a prorogation of Parliament, temporarily suspending all parliamentary activities, including debates and votes until March 24.
Lawmakers are currently on a scheduled holiday break and are set to resume on January 27.
The announcement marked the first time Trudeau addressed reporters since former Finance minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland unexpectedly resigned from cabinet on December 16.
Freeland, whose Ukrainian grandfather collaborated with the Nazis during WWII, stepped down following disputes over the Trudeau government’s planned response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports.
Trudeau then traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to avert a potential trade war, but his efforts have appeared to backfire.
Read more: Canada PM Trudeau is likely to announce resignation, source says
The son of a former Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau came to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two further victories in 2019 and 2021.
During his first two terms as prime minister, the liberal Trudeau ushered in Senate reforms, signed a new trade deal with the United States. He also legalized cannabis, held a public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, and passed legislation permitting medically assisted suicide.
Trudeau’s standing has been damaged by a series of unpopular policies, however, from the carbon tax and mass immigration to draconian lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic and the government crackdown on the “freedom convoy” trucker protest. He has also alienated many Canadians by embracing extreme sensitivity to LGBT issues and smearing critics as “racist” while appearing in blackface himself.
Recent polls indicate that the Liberals are trailing behind the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre. With inflation rising and his government’s policies under fire, opposition leaders and some Liberal MPs have urged Trudeau not to seek a fourth term.