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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he is stepping down after nearly a decade in power, following weeks of speculation about his political future.
He added that he was suspending parliament until March 24 to give his Liberal party time to choose a new leader.
“I intend to resign as party leader and as prime minister after the party chooses a new leader,” Trudeau said.
The 53-year-old Trudeau’s popularity has been at an all-time low as voters and members of his own party turned against him following a turbulent period of speculation about his ability to govern the G7 country.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) – a vital ally in parliament – announced before Christmas that it no longer supports the Liberal minority government.
Opposition parties, including the NDP, have also said they are prepared to pass a motion of no confidence in the Commons, which could also trigger a snap election.
Pierre Poilievre, whose conservative party leads the Liberals by 25 points in the polls, has repeatedly called for Trudeau to step down or call a snap election, citing Canada’s looming challenges with incoming US President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly mocked Trudeau, calling him the governor of the 51st US state, prompting calls for the prime minister to resign.
Ottawa-born Trudeau, the son of charismatic Liberal leader Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister between 1968 and 1979 and from 1980 to 1984, worked as a school drama teacher in Vancouver before being elected leader of the Liberal party in April 2013.
His tenure as prime minister began in October 2015, when the young newcomer led his Liberal party to a resounding victory over the Tories and their unpopular leader, Stephen Harper.
During his time in office, Trudeau passed laws to decriminalize soft drugs, advance gender equality and promote reconciliation with First Nations, as well as the urgent need to address climate change. He also pledged to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their country, despite anxiety over immigration levels.
But Trudeau’s popularity has declined over the past year due to rising living costs and the housing affordability crisis. His efforts to boost Canada’s post-pandemic economy through record immigration also faced widespread backlash.
An Angus Reid poll released on December 30 showed the percentage of voters intending to vote for the Liberals had dropped to 16 per cent, its worst level since Trudeau came to power, while the prime minister’s disapproval rating, through Pollster’s Trudeau Tracker. ”, was at an all-time high of 74 percent.
The surprise resignation on December 16 of Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who had once been a close ally of the prime minister, after falling out with Trudeau over government spending, sparked renewed calls for him to step down from both the opposition and from his party.
In the wake of Freeland’s move, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said Dec. 20 that his party was determined to withdraw its support from Trudeau or the Liberals. Singh vowed that his party’s voting bloc would consider ousting the government when parliament resumes at the end of January, possibly leading to snap elections.
