Justin Trudeau Resigns as Prime Minister of Canada

Justin Trudeau is stepping down as Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party. He announced this himself during a speech.

The prime minister has been under heavy fire for several months and will step down as soon as a successor is elected.

Despite frantic efforts, Canada has been paralyzed for months, Trudeau said. “I am a fighter, you know that,” he said. “And I fought for you and the country.” However, as his explanation shows, the prime minister saw no way out due to the many crises. “I have had long conversations about it with my family, to whom I owe my successes.

And last night, over dinner, I told my children what I am announcing to you now: I am stepping down as party leader and prime minister. If I have to fight an internal battle within my party, I cannot be the best option in the next election.”

A new parliament is coming to the country. Until it is elected, the current parliament is adjourned until March 24.

Under fire for months
His resignation does not come as a complete surprise. The 53-year-old Canadian prime minister has struggled with declining popularity and poor polls for several months. The political crisis in the country has only put further pressure on his position.

He was immensely popular when he took office in 2015, but that popularity gradually crumbled. This was partly the result of several scandals. His Liberal Party lost seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections but remained the country’s largest party. Trudeau was forced to continue with a minority government. He also had to govern with a minority government after the 2021 elections.

Pressure on the prime minister increased further last year, partly due to high inflation, a housing crisis and rising crime in the country. He had to undergo several confidence votes in parliament but managed to survive each time.

The election victory of Donald Trump in the US was an additional blow. Trump quickly announced that he wanted to impose 25 percent customs duties on Canadian products. Trudeau then disagreed with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland about the Canadian response to that announcement. Freeland, therefore, decided to resign in December.

As a result, his position gradually became untenable. Moreover, polls predicted that his party would suffer hefty blows in the next elections. Even within his party, pressure was put on him to resign, so he seemed to have lost all confidence.