Embattled Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday morning he will step down as leader of the nation’s ruling Liberal Party, stepping side ahead of a general election in which his prospects looked grim due to growing voter dissatisfaction with his nine-year tenure and a high-profile feud with President elect Donald Trump over trade policy.
Trudeau, 53, said he will remain in his post as prime minister until his successor is chosen but will suspend Parliament in the interim. The move leaves the Liberal Party without a permanent leader before Canada’s general election, set to be held on or before October 20.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,” Trudeau told reporters at a press conference outside his residence in Ottawa. “Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process.”
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” he said, “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’s resignation as party head was expected to arrive before a key national caucus meeting this Wednesday, the Globe and Mail first reported on Sunday. The embattled leader reportedly wanted to step down before the meeting to avoid speculation he was forced out by his party’s lawmakers.
Calls for Trudeau’s resignation mounted after his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, announced her resignation last month in a letter pushing back against the prime minister’s proposals for more spending. Freeland’s surprise departure, which came hours before she was supposed to unveil the fall economic update, sent shockwaves through Canada’s political establishment.
Canada’s deficit last fiscal year was $61.9 billion, nearly $22 billion higher than the $40 billion deficit projected in last April’s budget.
In the December 16 letter to Trudeau, Freeland wrote how the pair “have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” particularly over President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
In November, Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the U.S. until the country helped stem the flow of illegal immigration along the northern border. Days later, Trudeau dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss business.
Freeland called on Trudeau to stock up on funds “we may need for a coming tariff war” and refrain from engaging in “costly political gimmicks,” she said.
Regarding the upcoming election, Trudeau has fallen behind conservative favorite Pierre Poilievre by 24 points in a national polling average.
Trudeau has been the leader of the Liberal Party since 2013 and the prime minister of Canada since 2015.
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