Trudeau to resign as Canada's ruling party leader and PM

Embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would step down as the leader of Canada's Liberal Party after nine years in office.

An increasing number of Liberal lawmakers, unnerved by a succession of gloomy polls, have publicly urged Trudeau to quit.

"I intend to resign as party leader and as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process," Trudeau said in public remarks on Monday. He added that he tasked the party the night before with starting the process to replace him.

Trudeau also said that parliament would be prorogued until March 24.

The prime minister will remain in office until a new leader is chosen for the Liberal Party, which he has chaired since 2013.

The 53-year-old leader's time in office, since November 2015, makes him among the longest-serving Canadian prime ministers.

Why is Justin Trudeau resigning?

Trudeau has been under heavy pressure from Liberal lawmakers to step down, with polls suggesting the party will be crushed at the coming election, due to be held later this year.

"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," Trudeau said.

The prime minister enjoyed large support for a big part of his tenure, managing to be reelected twice. However, his popularity started to dwindle some two years ago, with public anger rising due to high prices and a housing shortage.

Since 2019, Trudeau has only managed to form minority governments.

"I don't easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well being of democracy is something that I hold dear," he said.

The prime minister's woes intensified last December, when his finance minister and one of his closest allies, Chrystia Freeland, stepped down over differences on economic policy.

Trudeau refused on Monday to comment on details of what caused Freeland's resignation.

What happens next?

Trudeau's Monday announcement means he will still be prime minister on January 20, when US President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs that could cripple Canada's economy.

Mark Carney, among those expected to try to replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader, thanked the prime minister for his work on Monday.

"Thank you Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for your leadership, for your many contributions to Canada, and for the sacrifices you and your family have made for public service," Carney wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The former head of the Bank of Canada and later the Bank of England has had a long interest in entering politics and being prime minister. Trudeau has tried to recruit him to join his government.

The opposition Conservatives are expected to win the coming elections, which would make leader Pierre Poilievre the next Canadian prime minister.

Trudeau said that he recognized Poilievre's "vision" for the country, but said it was "not the right path" for Canada.

Poilievre meanwhile hinted he was ready to take on whoever replaces Trudeau as the head of the Liberal Party.

"The only way to fix what Liberals broke is a carbon tax election to elect common sense Conservatives who will bring home Canada's promise," he said on X, following Trudeau's statement. 

White House farewells 'stalwart friend'

The White House reacted to Trudeau's announcement by calling the resigning Liberal Party leader a "stalwart friend" of the United States.

"During his decade leading the Canadian government, we have worked closely together on the full range of issues," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. 

US President Joe Biden is "grateful for the prime minister's partnership with all of that and for his commitment to defending North America from the geopolitical threats of the 21st century," Jean-Pierre added.

During Trudeau's time in power, Canada renegotiated a trilateral trade deal involving the US, Canada and Mexico when Trump was last in office. 

ftm,rmt,rc/wd,zc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)