OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he intends to resign, amid poor polling showing voters have soured on his vision for the country.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
Canada’s parliament will be suspended until March 24 while a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, he also said.
“If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election — well, probably many regrets that I will think of,” he added. “But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”
The Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau was expected to announce as early as Monday and a source confirmed to Fwrd Axis News that this is the current plans but Trudeau has not made a final decision.
Trudeau has been Prime Minister for the past nine years and comes amid calls for him to step down after polls show his Liberal party could lose to Conservatives in an election in late October.
A series of concerning polls has led to several Liberal parliamentarians calling for Trudeau to step down, similar to what happened in the United States when the Democratic Party called on President Joe Biden to step aside following a June debate.
It is unclear if Trudeau would also step down immediately as prime minister or remain in post until a new leader is selected.
Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House on January 20, has said he will sign an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all products coming into the U.S. from Canada — which Canada’s political leaders see as an issue for Trudeau. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Trudeau and the country of Canada on social media, referring to the prime minister as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post, calling out what she said were Trudeau’s “political gimmicks,” referring to a two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar ($175) rebates for most workers.
