‘Internal battles’: Justin Trudeau resigns after nine years as Canadian PM

After months of growing political unrest, Justin Trudeau bowed to members of his party calling on him to step aside, confirming he’ll leave office as soon as the Liberal Party chooses a new leader.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation after almost a decade in power, saying he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal Party chooses a new leader.

After months of slumping polls and internal division, Mr Trudeau finally bowed to members of his party who have been calling on him to step aside ahead of an election later this year.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader,” Mr Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, told reporters in Ottawa.

“It has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”

It was not immediately clear how long Mr Trudeau will remain in office as a caretaker premier. However he moved to suspend the current session of the legislature, to avoid facing a no-confidence vote in parliament.

The Canadian leader spent the holiday break weighing his future, and said he made his decision over dinner with his family.

He said the Liberal leadership race will be “a robust, nationwide competitive process.”

Trump responds to Trudeau resignation

Mr Trudeau will continue to lead Canada when incoming US president Donald Trump takes office later this month and will be tasked with leading the country’s initial response to the new US administration, including a possible trade war.

Mr Trump has vowed to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports, which could prove devastating to the Canadian economy, and Trudeau has pledged to retaliate.

The US president-elect responded to Mr Trudeau’s announcement of his resignation by continuing to advocate for Canada to become the 51st state, arguing this would be one way for the country to avoid being hit by his proposed 25 per cent tariff.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said that many Canadians loved the idea of becoming part of America.

“The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat,” he said. “Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.”

“If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them.”

“Together, what a great Nation it would be!!”

Star of the Left — how Trudeau ascended to power

Before taking over the Liberal Party in 2013, Mr Trudeau, now 53, was not a leading political figure.

His most prominent political attribute at the time was arguably the fact that his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, had been one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers.

But Mr Trudeau’s youthful energy and fluency on issues that increasingly mattered to Canadians, including climate change, helped him oust an entrenched Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, in 2015 elections.

Former Deputy PM of Canada Chrystia Freeland with Trudeau. Picture: AFP

After more than nine years in power, his support within the Liberal Party began teetering last year.

It plunged to new depths following the surprise resignation in December of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.

In a scathing resignation letter, Ms Freeland accused the Prime Minister of focusing on political gimmicks to appease voters, including a costly Christmas tax holiday, instead of steadying Canada’s finances ahead of Mr Trump’s promised tariffs.

Mr Trudeau’s hold on power grew more tenuous last month, after the left-leaning New Democratic Party, which had been propping up his minority government, said it was withdrawing its support.

Mr Trudeau’s Liberals are trailing badly in the polls to the opposition Conservatives and have only narrowly survived three non-confidence votes brought by them in parliament late last year.

Trudeau and then US president Donald Trump in 2017. Picture: AFP

Who could be Canada’s next PM

Canadian media have tipped Ms Freeland as a possible contender to take over the Liberal Party along with the former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, a Canadian who also previously led the Bank of Canada.

Several others are expected to join the race.

Lori Turnbull, a political-science professor at Dalhousie University, said traditionally a Liberal leadership race would take four to six months but this time “they’ve got to be quicker than that.”

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre indicated he was ready to take on whoever the Liberals put forward.

“Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years,” he posted on X after Mr Trudeau’s announcement.

Mr Trudeau confirmed that he had received permission from Canada’s governor-general to suspend all parliamentary business until March 24.

That could give the Liberals time to choose a new leader while restricting the opposition chances to bring a vote of non-confidence.

AFP