Justin Trudeau - latest: Canadian prime minister says he has ‘regrets’ as he announces resignation
Pressure grew on Canada’s leader from within his Liberal Party over his handling of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed trade tariffs
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Your support makes all the difference.Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as Liberal Party leader. He will remain as Canadian prime minister until the party has chosen a successor.
It’s the end of a nine-year stint in office, as pressure grew from within his Liberal Party which is trailing significantly behind the opposition Conservatives in the polls.
Trudeau made the announcement from his Rideau Cottage residence.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,” Trudeau said Monday. “Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. 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.”
The outgoing prime minister said he regretted not being able to change Canada’s electoral system.
A row broke out inside Trudeau’s party after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced a proposal to introduce 25 percent tariffs on the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland unexpectedly stepped down in mid-December, citing differences with Trudeau on how to approach Trump’s presidency and tariff proposals.
But pressure had already been growing on Trudeau from within the party as its popularity collapsed in the polls.
Canada is already due to hold a general election by the end of October this year.
Live: Canada's PM Justin Trudeau expected to announce resignation
What may happen next
Under the constitution of the Liberal Party, the leader can hand in his or her resignation at any point, leading to a leadership contest, which usually takes a few months.
But that process may be sped up as an election is set to be held in Canada on or before 20 October.
A snap election could be held if Trudeau calls for one or if parliament passes a no-confidence vote.
Trudeau to resign as leader but remain as prime minister until successor chosen
Justin Trudeau is set to resign as Liberal party leader but remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen, according to CNN.
“Trudeau is deeply unpopular and has been trailing badly in the polls. He was under enormous pressure to step down before this year’s election,” FiveThirtyEight elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich wrote on X.
The rise and fall of Justin Trudeau as Canadian prime minister on the brink of resigning
After nearly 10 years at the country’s helm, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks set to resign as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.
Mr Trudeau’s latest crisis has been sparked by the sudden resignation of his finance minister Chrystia Freeland, amid a row over how best to handle US President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened trade tariffs.
Once the poster boy for liberal politics, his popularity has waned, and his approval rating has dipped below 30 percent several times this year.
So what went wrong?
The rise and fall of Justin Trudeau as Canadian prime minister on brink of quitting
The leader was once a poster boy for liberalism but is now said to be ready to resign
Why King Charles’ representative could remove Justin Trudeau
If Justin Trudeau chose not to quit - and instead to face a vote of no-confidence which is set to be brought against him - there is another constitutional route through which he could be removed.
In Canada, constitutional power ultimately lies with governor general Mary Simon.
The governor general is the federal representative of King Charles III. They are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Canadian prime minister and technically serve for an indefinite term - although this is usually five years.
Ms Simon has the power to remove Mr Trudeau, if she wished. But in reality, this would never happen.
“The governor general won’t dismiss a prime minister who still holds the confidence of the Commons,” Philippe Lagasse, a professor and constitutional expert at Ottawa's Carleton University, said.
Breaking: Trudeau to make announcement at 10:45 local time
Justin Trudeau is set to make an announcement today from his residence at Rideau Cottage, the press gallery has been told.
The announcement will be made at 10:45am local time, which is around 1.5 hours from now.
That will be 15:45 UK time, 16:45 CET, 10:45 EST, 09:45 CST and 07:45 PST.
Stay here for all the latest updates.
Justin Trudeau’s election wins
Justin Trudeau was once highly popular and the darling of liberalism in Canada, offering a message of hope and prosperity to revive a party which had collapsed in support when he took over.
He won three elections, with his share of the vote declining each time.
2015
Justin Trudeau had collapsed to 34 seats with 19 per cent of the vote in the 2011 election.
But a fresh, young face returned an image of positivity and competence to the Liberals, and they stormed to a majority win with 184 seats and a 39 per cent vote share.
"Real Change (Now)” was the message which saw Mr Trudeau return the party to power after nine years in the wilderness.
2019
The Liberals lost their parliamentary majority in 2019, after a vote swing of -6.4 per cent saw them lose 20 seats.
They nonetheless went on to form a single-party minority government, setting a record at the time for the lowest ever vote share required to do so.
The Conservatives won the popular vote in 2019, but Mr Trudeau’s party won 36 more seats.
2021
For the second election running, the Liberals failed to win the popular vote - the Conservatives won 1 per cent more of the vote - but were able to form a government.
Mr Trudeau had hoped the positivity around his government’s response to the Covid pandemic would translate into a rallying majority. Although this did not happen, the Liberals increased their seat share by five.
In Focus | Justin Trudeau’s fall from grace shows politics is an ugly game
When Justin Trudeau became the Canadian prime minister in 2015, people were still using that thing called Facebook. I can remember well the frothing posts by female friends, none of whom could contain their excitement at the election of this hottie PM. Furthermore, they gushed at the notion that what made him hotter still was not only that he was young and handsome, he was a lovely liberal dude too, which made him even more super-duper guy.
(If my male friends had written about an equally attractive female prime minister in such a way, they might well have been cancelled, but let’s park that.) As far as my friends were concerned – and to be fair, Trudeau had plenty of male fanboys – here was the perfect Generation X politician, and all would surely be well in his good hands.
Guy Walters writes:
Justin Trudeau’s fall from grace shows politics is an ugly game
In just under 10 years, the prime minister of Canada has gone from the darling of the global liberal pack to a political pariah with an approval rating of less than 30 per cent. Here, Guy Walters looks at his career and why some seem to fall from a greater height than others in the ugly world of politics
Report: Trump’s taunts against Canada and Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is already grappling with a contentious moment for his leadership and Donald Trump is adding fuel to the fire, taunting Trudeau with the prospect of making his country the 51st US state.
Trump’s familiar bullish approach to the United States’s typically friendly foreign leaders has returned full-fledged over the last week as Trudeau faces a leadership crisis amid low approval ratings.
At 3am on Wednesday, Trump hopped on Truth Social to troll the prime minister by doubling down on his pitch to make the U.S.’s northern neighbor the “51st State”.
“No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” Trump wrote.
Read the full report from Ariana Baio:
As Trudeau’s future hangs in the balance, Trump doubles down on ‘51st state’ taunts
President-elect Trump is stirring the political pot in Canada while Prime Minister Trudeau faces low public approval
Canadian dollar surges amid Trudeau’s likely resignation - report
The Canadian dollar is surging following reports that Justin Trudeau may resign this week, according to a global capital market analyst.
“The Canadian Dollar is surging on reports of Justin Trudeau resigning,” The Kobeissi Letter wrote on X.
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