Canadian PM Justin Trudeau steps down after “Liberal infighting”

After 9 years in office, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will be stepping down in the coming months. According to Reuters on January 6, this is due to mounting pressure from his fellow Liberal lawmakers alarmed by his Party’s low ratings in the pre-election polls.

Trudeau addressed a press conference stating that he would stay on as prime minister and Liberal leader until a new leader is elected by the party.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” Trudeau stated. Due to this, parliament will be suspended until March 24th.

This makes an election unlikely before May at the earliest, meaning Trudeau will remain in charge of dealing with crippling tariffs set to hit Canada once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20th. The next election will be held before Oct 2oth.

Current polls released on December 22 reflect angry voters who are troubled over high prices and shortages of affordable housing. The opposition Conservatives are currently leading at 45% among decided voters, suggesting they will take power regardless of who leads the Liberal Party. The Liberals and the left-leaning New Democrats have polled at 20% each.

Unhappy Liberal lawmakers have openly called on Trudeau to quit after his finance minister resigned. Trudeau has been accused of using “political gimmicks” to win back voters.

“I am not someone who backs away from a fight, particularly when a fight is as important as this one is,” stated Trudeau

“But I have always been driven by my love for Canada … and it has become obvious to me with the internal battles that I cannot be the one to carry the Liberal standard into the next election.”

Trudeau, 53, first took office in November 2015 and won re-election twice, he has become one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers, winning plaudits from progressives for his focus on gender parity policies.

Despite this, his popularity began to decline two years ago as prices of food and housing began to rise post-COVID.

With parliament returning only on March 24th, the earliest a non-confidence vote could be presented would be sometime in May.

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Trudeau has not suggested how long the leadership elections will take. He has stated that once elected a new party leader will become prime minister immediately.

Shachi Kurl, president of pollster Angus Reid, has suggested the Liberal Party is in trouble, regardless of leadership,

“There is a fatigue factor. This is a government in its 10th year – at some point the milk just expires, I think the milk has turned pretty sour.”

Although the suspension parliament will allow the Liberals to choose a leader without worrying about an election derailing the process, this move could damage their relations with voters, according to Philippe Lagasse, a constitutional expert at Carleton University.

“I think people are ready for an election. They want to move on – this is just delaying it,” he stated.

This Liberal infighting has alarmed business groups and the premiers of the country’s 10 provinces, who suggest Ottawa must be focused on possible tariffs from the upcoming Trump administration.

“Canada needs to demonstrate stability and strength at this critical moment, and the federal government must urgently explain to Canadians how they will avoid tariffs that could have devastating effects,” said Doug Ford, Ontario`s premier.

Until recently Trudeau had been able to fend off those worried about the poor showing in polls.

Calls for Trudeau to quit have increased since last month, after he tried to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies.

This demotion came after she pushed back against his higher spending proposals.

In response, Freeland quit, writing a letter accusing Trudeau of using  “political gimmicks” rather than acting in the best interests of Canada.

Reuters, AP, CBC, Angus Reid Institute