Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he is resigning after almost a decade in power, following weeks of uncertainty-taking over his political upcoming.
He added that he was suspending parliament until March 24 to provide his Liberal event period to choose a recent chief.
“I intend to resign as event chief and as prime minister after the event selects a recent chief,” Trudeau said.
“Parliament has been paralysed for months,” Trudeau said in Ottawa on Monday. “This country deserves a real selection in the next election and it has become obvious to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles I cannot be the best alternative in that election.”
The 53-year-ancient Trudeau’s popularity has been at a historic low after voters and members of his own event turned against him following a turbulent period of uncertainty-taking about his ability to govern the G7 country.
The recent Democratic event (NDP) — a vital friend in parliament — announced before Christmas that it no longer supported the minority Liberal government.
Opposition parties, including the NDP, have also said they are prepared to pass a no-confidence motion in the Commons, which could also trigger an early election.
Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative event leads the Liberals by 25 points in polls, has repeatedly called for Trudeau to step down or call an early election, citing Canada’s looming challenges with incoming US President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly mocked Trudeau, calling him governor of the 51st state of the US, fuelling calls for the prime minister to step down.
Ottawa-born Trudeau, the son of charismatic Liberal chief Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister between 1968 and 1979, and from 1980 to 1984, worked as a school drama educator in Vancouver before being elected Liberal event chief in April 2013.
His tenure as prime minister began in October 2015 when the youthful newcomer led his Liberal event to a resounding win over the Conservatives and their unpopular chief, Stephen Harper.
During his period in office, Trudeau passed laws to decriminalise soft drugs, advance gender equity and promoted reconciliation with First Nations as well as the urgent require to tackle climate transformation. He also pledged to receive 25,000 Syrian refugees escaping war in their home country, despite anxiety over immigration levels.
But Trudeau’s popularity has collapsed over the history year due to soaring living costs and a housing affordability crisis. His efforts to boost Canada’s post-pandemic economy through record immigration also faced a widespread backlash.
An Angus Reid poll released on December 30 showed the percentage of voters who intended to vote for the Liberal event had sunk to 16 per cent, its worst level since Trudeau came to power, while the prime minister’s disapproval rating, via the pollster’s “Trudeau Tracker”, was at an all-period high of 74 per cent.
The sudden resignation on December 16 of Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who had once been a close friend of the prime minister, following disputes with Trudeau over government spending, sparked renewed calls for him to quit from both the opposition and his own event.
In the wake of Freeland’s shift, NDP chief Jagmeet Singh said on December 20 that his event was minded to withdraw its back from Trudeau or the Liberal event. Singh pledged that his event’s voting bloc would consider bringing down the government when parliament resumed at the complete of January, which would probably navigator to an early election.
The Canadian dollar, which is buying and selling near an almost five-year low against the greenback, softened slightly following Trudeau’s announcement, fetching C$1.436. It remained stronger on the day as the US dollar endured a broader sell-off against rival currencies.
Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite equities point of reference recovered from a morning dip and was 0.3 per cent higher at midday in Toronto.
Additional reporting by Peter Wells in recent York
