Justin Trudeau said he will resign as Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party amid political turmoil

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau He announced on Monday that he intends to resign as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party amid growing opposition to his leadership.

“The truth is that despite our best efforts to solve this problem, Parliament has been suffering from paralysis for months, after the longest session of a minority Parliament in Canadian history,” Trudeau said in televised remarks outside his home in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. city. “I intend to resign from my position as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party chooses its next leader through a vigorous, competitive, nationwide process.”

Trudeau, a former high school teacher and son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, became prime minister in 2015 after his Liberal Party won a decisive parliamentary majority.

The Liberal Party won two more consecutive elections in 2019 and 2021, but lost the popular vote, forcing him to run. Formation of a minority government With a left-wing opposition party, leaving his party dependent on allies to pass legislation.

In his press conference on Monday, Trudeau called for a more unified political environment and proposed changes to Canada’s electoral process that would allow voters to look “for what they have in common instead of polarizing and dividing Canadians against each other.” He said the failure to amend this process during his term is “something he particularly regrets” ahead of the next election.

Why is Justin Trudeau resigning?

Trudeau’s leadership has faced significant challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, leading to a loss of trust among Canadians of different backgrounds. Key issues such as housing affordability, high costs of living and high levels of immigration have contributed to widespread disillusionment. This growing frustration led Trudeau’s Liberal supporters to begin demanding his resignation.

The surprise resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on December 16 further complicated Trudeau’s political landscape and threw his Liberal Party into disarray, reviving calls for him to step down.

In a controversial resignation letter posted online, Freeland said she and the prime minister “became at odds about the best way forward for Canada.” The Minister of Housing resigned a week ago.

In response to a question about Freeland’s departure, which some saw as an incentive to announce Trudeau’s resignation, the Prime Minister said he had hoped Freeland would agree to continue in his government as deputy prime minister, “but she chose otherwise.” Trudeau declined to share more details about their “private conversations.”

Trudeau made a last-ditch effort to shake up his cabinet, hoping to add some stability to his government, but that also failed.

The Toronto Star editorial board said: And an editorial It was published on December 16 that Trudeau “seems to be more concerned with his survival than the national interest,” and urged him to leave “for the sake of his legacy, his party and his country.”

Toronto Police Association too He said In a social media post on December 17, she lost confidence in Trudeau’s government, saying it was “time to resign and leave these critically important public safety issues to someone else.”

Jagmeet Singh, the New Democratic Party leader and Trudeau ally, threatened to bring down the minority Liberal government through a vote of no confidence in the next session if he did not resign.

“Justin Trudeau has failed at the biggest job a prime minister has: working for the people, not the powerful,” Singh said in an online statement.

Trump’s threat of tariffs

Calls for Trudeau’s resignation gained momentum after US President-elect Donald Trump announced a new plan Potential blanket 25% tariff Canada and Mexico should not take stronger action against illegal immigration and drug trafficking concerns. Trump has targeted Trudeau and Canada in recent days, and the president-elect appears to be joking about them Canada becomes the 51st state With Trudeau as governor.

Some of Trudeau’s critics have suggested he is unable to stand up against him Economic pressures exerted by Trump And bullying.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for early elections, while Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet warned that it would be “absolutely irresponsible” to remain in such an unstable situation under Trudeau’s leadership.

Opinion polls displays Trudeau’s Liberal Party is 20 points behind the Conservatives, with the next election in October.