Trudeau says will resign as prime minister and Liberal Party leader amid political turmoil

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday he intends to resign as prime minister and Liberal Party leader amid growing opposition to his leadership.

"The fact is, despite best efforts to work through it, parliament has been paralyzed for months, after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history," Trudeau said in televised remarks outside of his home in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. "I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process."

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 parliamentary majority.

The Liberal Party won two more successive elections in 2019 and 2021, but lost the popular vote, requiring him to form a minority government with a left-wing opposition party, leaving his party dependent on allies to pass legislation.

Trudeau, in his press conference on Monday, called for a more unified political environment and suggested changes to Canada's election process that would allow voters to look "for things they have in common instead of polarizing and dividing Canadians against each other." He said failing to amend that process during his term is "one regret particularly" that he has 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, leading to a loss of confidence among Canadians from various backgrounds. Key issues such as housing affordability, the rising cost of living and high levels of immigration contributed to widespread disillusionment. This growing frustration led to Trudeau's own Liberal supporters to start calling for his resignation.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's abrupt resignation on Dec. 16 further complicated Trudeau's political landscape and threw his Liberal Party into disarray, reviving calls for him to step down.

In an explosive resignation letter posted online, Freeland said she and the prime minister had become "at odds about the best path forward for Canada." His housing minister had resigned a week earlier.

Asked to address Freeland's departure, which some saw as the catalyst to Trudeau's resignation announcement, the prime minister said he had hoped Freeland would agree to continue in his cabinet as deputy prime minister, "but she chose otherwise." Trudeau declined to share more details about their "private conversations."

Trudeau made a last-ditch effort to shuffle his cabinet, hoping to add some stability to his government, but that failed as well.

The Toronto Star's editorial board said in an op-ed published Dec. 16 that Trudeau is "seemingly more concerned with his own survival than with the national interest," urging him to walk away "for his legacy, his party and his country."

The Toronto Police Association also said in a post on social media Dec. 17 that it had lost faith in Trudeau's government, saying it's "time to resign and leave these critically important public safety issues to someone else."

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party and once an ally of Trudeau, threatened to bring down the Liberals' minority government through a non-confidence vote in the next sitting if he didn't resign.

"Justin Trudeau failed in the biggest job a Prime Minister has: to work for people, not the powerful," Singh said in an online statement.
Trump tariff threat

Calls for Trudeau's resignation gained momentum after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's announcement of a potential blanket 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico if they don't take stronger action against illegal immigration and drug trafficking concerns. Trump has targeted Trudeau and Canada in recent days, with the president-elect appearing to joke about Canada becoming the 51st state with Trudeau as governor.

Some of Trudeau's critics have suggested he is unable to stand against Trump's economic pressure and bullying.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for an early election, while the Bloc Quebecois, leader, Yves-François Blanchet, warned that it would be "absolutely irresponsible" to remain in such an unstable situation under Trudeau's leadership.

Polls show Trudeau's Liberal Party trailing 20 points behind the Conservatives, with upcoming elections in October.

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