Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he plans to resign as leader of the Liberal Partyamid growing internal discord.
His announcement on Monday it follows a whirlwind of speculation about his political future after public spats with former allies, a confidence vote called for later in January and falling poll numbers.
“Every morning when I woke up as prime minister, I was inspired by the resilience, generosity and determination of Canadians,” Trudeau said in remarks from his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.
In the announcement of his intention to step down as party leader, noted the uphill battle the Liberals face as they head into federal election season. He explained that he will step down when a replacement is found.
“This country deserves the right choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I have to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in this election.”
Trudeau announced his plan before the Liberal Party’s national caucus on Wednesday.
Here’s what you need to know about Trudeau’s resignation, what led to it and what it means for Canada.
Who is Trudeau?
Trudeau, 53, came to power in 2015 and has led the Liberals to two more victories in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
The eldest son of charismatic former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who died in 2000, Justin Trudeau entered politics after working as a snowboard instructor, bartender, bouncer and teacher.
He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 as a representative of the working-class district of Montreal.
He remade the Senate with the goal of making it less political and more transparent by eliminating party appointments and creating an independent selection process based on merit.
He also signed a new trade deal with the United States and introduced a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada during his first two terms as prime minister.
The father-of-three also legalized cannabis, held a public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and passed legislation allowing medically assisted suicide.
In remarks Monday, Trudeau reflected on some of his accomplishments while in office.
“We were elected in 2015 to fight for the middle class, and that’s exactly what we’ve done in the past years,” he said. “We’ve cut their taxes, we’ve increased benefits for families, we’ve made sure the economy is geared towards work for everyone, not just the few.”
How did we get here?
Trudeau’s popularity has waned in recent months, and his government has barely survived a series of confidence votes and critics calling for his resignation.
He promised to stay and lead the Liberals to the election, but faced further pressure from incoming US President Donald Trump, who threatened 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned in December after disagreeing with Trudeau over how to respond to Trump’s apparent agenda, the first open disagreement against the prime minister within his cabinet.
In a post on X, Freeland said she was leaving after Trudeau asked her to step down as finance minister. She cited disagreements with the prime minister, including how to deal with Trump’s threat of tariffs and ‘America first’ economic nationalism.
Since then, a growing number of Liberal parliamentarians, upset by a string of dismal polls, have publicly called on Trudeau to resign.
After Trudeau caved in to those calls on Monday, many, including Freeland, applauded his decision.
“I thank Justin Trudeau for his years of service to Canada and Canadians. I wish him and his family the best,” Freeland wrote on social networks.
What happens next?
Trudeau requested that Canada’s parliament face a period of prorogation, pausing its sessions until March 24. Governor General Mary Simon approved the request.
For the Liberals, Trudeau’s departure should trigger a contest to name his successor as party leader.
The race comes at a crucial time for the party as it faces a federal election, due before October 20. Polls have shown that, under Trudeau’s leadership, the Liberal Party would have lost badly to the rival Conservatives had the vote gone ahead.
“I intend to resign as leader of the party, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a vigorous, competitive process that spans the country,” Trudeau said.
Now that Trudeau has announced his intention to step down, the Liberals will have to call a special leadership convention to choose their next boss.
The challenge for the party is that these conventions usually take months to organize and if an election is held before then, the Liberals would be in the hands of a prime minister who is not elected by the members.
This has never happened in Canada. Liberals could try to keep the convention shorter than usual, but that could spark protests from candidates who feel disadvantaged.
Who are the potential candidates for the head of the Liberal Party?
These are some of the politicians widely touted as potential candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party.
- Mark Carney: An economist and banker who was a former governor of the Bank of Canada, he advised the Liberal government on economic issues.
- Champagne Francois-Philippe: Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry since 2021, before that he was Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- Chrystia Freeland: She is the MP for Rosedale University, Ontario, and a former Deputy Prime Minister. Once a close adviser to Trudeau, her departure from his cabinet was seen as a reckoning for his leadership. She is considered a credible and stable alternative to Trudeau, and polls show her the best among liberal politicians before the election.
- Melanie Joly: Joly, the current foreign minister, has been prominent on the international stage and will be tasked with dealing with Trump-related issues when he takes office. She was a staunch Trudeau supporter.
- Dominic LeBlanc: Considered a close Trudeau ally, he was named finance minister after Freeland’s departure.
How does Trump figure into all this?
President-elect of the United States has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on its three biggest trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China – as soon as he takes office on January 20.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily resolve this long-simmering issue,” Trump said in a November post on his Truth Social social media platform.
“We hereby demand that they use this power, and until they do, it is time for them to pay a very high price!”
Trudeau traveled to Florida in November to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in an attempt to avert a trade war.
But the US president-elect has since also delivered humiliating jabs at Trudeau on social media, repeatedly calling him the “governor” of Canada and declaring it a “great idea” to become the 51st US state of the US’s northern neighbour.
Several Trump allies, including billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, also attacked Trudeau from their platforms.
Musk, for example, welcomed the news that Trudeau would step down with publish on his social media platform X: “2025 is looking good.”
Trump also celebrated the announcement with his own social media post, in which he repeated his call for Canada to become the “51st state” of the US.
“If Canada merged with the US, there would be no tariffs, taxes would be much lower, and they would be TOTALLY SAFE from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships constantly surrounding them,” Trump wrote. “Together, what a great nation that would be!!!”
Who is Pierre Poilievre?
He is the man expected to become prime minister after the next Canadian election.
In recent days, Trudeau has trailed the head of the Conservative Party by 20 points in public opinion polls.
Poilievre is not known for pulling punches. He called Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante “incompetent,” New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh a “sellout” and Trudeau a “weak” and “lunatic.”
The latest offense saw him temporarily expelled from the House of Commons for “unparliamentary language” in April. Debates in the Canadian Parliament are usually calm, but recently they have become more tense and lively.
Like Trump, Poilievre is also a fan of short, catchy phrases to summarize his political messages.
He called for “tax cuts”, in reference to the federal carbon tax, and coined the phrase “Justinflation” – a combination of the prime minister’s name and the word “inflation”.
Much like Trump, he likes to describe himself as a victim of bullying by elites and the traditional media.
He also has low support among women, another similarity to Trump.
In 2022, when he was fighting for the leadership of the country’s main opposition party, the Conservatives, the career politician with 20 years of experience was still considered an outsider, but he drew large crowds at his rallies.
Born in Calgary, Poilievre grew up in an adoptive family. He developed a passion for politics at an early age, and during his studies he won a prize for an essay on what he would do if he were prime minister.
With polls showing he is likely to win the next election, he promised that “Canada will come first!” – a slogan similar to Trump’s “America first!”
Poilievre repeated that slogan on social media on Monday video celebrating Trudeau’s decision to step down.
“Canada first, Canada last, Canada always,” he said, urging voters to rally to his side. “Let’s bring him home.”
