After nine years in government, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he will leave his position as leader of the ruling Liberals. However, he will remain in his position until the party selects a successor. At a news conference, Trudeau said that parliament would be delayed until March 24 in response to intense demand from Liberal lawmakers to resign, as polls indicate the party would lose the next election.
Thus, when Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, assumes office on January 20, Trudeau will remain prime minister. Trump has threatened to implement tariffs that would destroy Canada’s economy.
I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process,” stated Trudeau. “It has become evident that I cannot be the best candidate in the upcoming election if I am fighting internal conflicts. This country needs an actual choice. Having been elected twice, Trudeau, 53, became one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers after taking office in November 2015.
However, his fortunes never recovered after his reputation declined two years ago due to public outrage over exorbitant prices and a housing shortage. Regardless of the leader, polls indicate that the Liberals will suffer a crushing defeat to the official opposition Conservatives in the election that must be held by late October. Opposition parties had promised to overthrow the administration as soon as possible, perhaps by the end of March, and Parliament was scheduled to reconvene on January 27. However, the earliest they could introduce a non-confidence motion would be somewhere in May if parliament does not reconvene until March 24.
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