Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister since 2015 and the leader of the Canadian Liberal Party since 2013, announced his resignation on Monday, January 6th. Trudeau, 53, blamed the “internal battles” of the Liberal Party for his decision, and did not specifically mention the recent poll numbers that showed record-low support for Canada’s government.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” Trudeau said during his press conference from Ottawa, Ontario. “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 did not mention President-Elect Donald Trump by name, though many within his party have noted that Trump’s threats of tariffs on Canada have contributed to growing disillusionment to Trudeau’s Liberal Party. He specified that he intends to remain as the leader of the Liberal Party until the heads can reconvene to determine a new one.
News of Trudeau’s resignation comes after 50 Liberal party lawmakers held a call where they agreed Trudeau would have to step down. Many in his party have resumed calls for the Canadian election to be pushed up – something that is permitted – in order to stabilize a government quickly as they await the inauguration of President Trump on January 20th.
Trudeau had been a polarizing figure since his publicized handling of anti-COVID mandate protests in 2022. Calls for his resignation heightened after Trudeau’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland left her post, publicly criticizing Trudeau for his focus on “costly political gimmicks” instead of responding in a timely manner to Donald Trump’s perceived threats to Canada’s economy.
With the party growing reportedly more divided, Trudeau’s successor will face a large list of challenges. Chief among them are the country’s economic concerns and issues related to immigration. Some in Canada – including the Conservative party – have adopted policies and rhetoric similar to Trump’s, a challenge that Trudeau’s Liberal party has been unable to fight off.
The rising Conservative party star Pierre Poilievre has drawn comparisons to Trump and is the Conservative party leader. Should the Conservative party triumph in the next election, Poilievre could be the next Prime Minister of Canada.
