What to know about Trudeau's resignation

CCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resigned as leader of his ruling Liberal party, following months of pressure from party insiders to resign amid declining public support.

“I intend to step down as leader of the party and become prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationally competitive process,” Trudeau said at a news conference outside his home in Ottawa on Monday morning. ” The country deserves a real choice at the next election and it's become clear to me that I can't be the best choice in that election if I have to fight internally.”

The Globe and Mail first reported on Sunday that Trudeau would step down as party leader this week ahead of a key caucus meeting on Wednesday, citing three unnamed sources. (Reuters also reported Trudeau's impending resignation, citing unnamed sources.)

Trudeau confirmed on Monday that he will remain as Liberal leader and prime minister until a replacement is chosen, meaning he will lead Canada in the early months of Donald Trump's presidency, including through tense trade talks and potential tariff threats from the United States. Trudeau announced that Canada's Parliament will be suspended until March 24 to give his Liberal Party time to choose a new leader.

Federal parliamentary elections must be held in October 2025 before Trudeau resigns, but they can be held earlier if the House of Commons passes a motion of no-confidence to dissolve the current Liberal government.

Why did Trudeau step down?

Trudeau's nine-year tenure as Canada's prime minister has become fragile, with two-thirds of Canadians disapproving of his performance amid dismal living costs and record immigration levels. The Liberals currently trail the opposition Conservatives by more than 20 percentage points, with voter support reaching a record low by the end of 2024.

The party does not hold an outright majority in parliament and relies on the support of the more left-leaning New Democrats through the Supply and Confidence Agreement, which the NDP abandoned in September. The separatist Bloc Québécois also dropped its support for the Liberals in October, with its leader expressing a desire to overthrow the Trudeau government. Those moves, coupled with recent byelection losses in the former Liberal stronghold, prompted party members to hold a closed-door caucus meeting in Ottawa in late October to urge Trudeau to resign.

Trudeau was faced with the shock Dec. 16 resignation of one of his closest allies, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, after attempts were made to demote her. more pressure. In his resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau's plan to cancel the sales tax and send out $250 Christmas checks as “costly political maneuvers.” Freeland said Canada needs to remain “financially adequate” ahead of a potential trade war as Trump threatens to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.

Trudeau has since reshuffled his cabinet but called an early election after NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wrote on Dec. 20 that his party “will vote to bring down this government” and tabled a motion of no-confidence. The possibility has increased. “Justin Trudeau has let you down time and time again,” Singh wrote in a statement after Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday. “It doesn't matter who leads the Liberals. They don't deserve another chance.”

For many, Trudeau's resignation marks the end of an era in Canadian politics. He first became nationally known as leader of the Liberal Party in 2013, continuing the political legacy of his father, Pierre Trudeau, who served as prime minister for nearly 16 years.

Yet Trudeau's legacy remains complicated. His tenure will be remembered for progressive policies, including marijuana legalization, a national child care program that lowered costs to $10 a day, and welcoming immigration policies. But his efforts to deal with economic and political challenges in recent years have overshadowed many of his achievements.

Trudeau said at a news conference on Monday that he regretted the upcoming election: He did not change the electoral system to ranked-choice voting, which he said would reduce political divisions. “Instead of trying to polarize and divide Canadians, people will look for what they have in common,” he said of allowing Canadians to have a second or third choice on the ballot.

But critics at the time said the move would mainly benefit the Liberal Party's electoral fortunes

what happens next

The Liberal Party's constitution stipulates that after a resignation, the party's board of directors should appoint an “interim leader” in consultation with the caucus.

But with the Trump administration taking office and the election approaching, the Liberals may be running out of time in choosing Trudeau's successor. Party rules state that nominees must submit their nominations at least 90 days before a scheduled leadership vote. But it also noted that the party board could change the date of a leadership vote and “alter any arrangements already made” if three-quarters of voting members “believe that the political situation warrants a reset of the date”.

Freeland is one of the Liberal candidates who could succeed Trudeau as party leader. New Finance Minister Dominique Leblanc; Foreign Minister Melanie Jolly; Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne; and Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand.

Trudeau also said that Governor-General Marie Simon, who represents Canada's monarch, accepted his request to prorogue Parliament (essentially suspending it) until March 24. That comes just days before the March 31 deadline for the House of Commons to vote on interim supplies – government funding for the first three months of the financial year. Votes on spending items such as supplies are automatically considered votes of confidence.

Although prorogation is a routine procedure in parliament, it can buy time for the current government in a political crisis. Prorogating parliament would allow the Liberals to delay a no-confidence vote and avoid triggering an early election, although this may face legal hurdles.

“There will be a vote of confidence in March and the passage of supply, which will allow Parliament to measure confidence in a way that is fully consistent with all democratic principles and the functioning of our strong institutions,” Trudeau said.