Canada’s Embattled PM Justin Trudeau Announces Resignation Ahead of Likely Defeat in Upcoming Elections

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced his resignation as the leader of the nation’s ruling Liberal Party, saying he will remain prime minister until a new leader is selected ahead of the October general elections.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,”  Trudeau, 53, told reporters during a press conference in Ottawa. “Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process.”

Trudeau also said he would suspend Parliament until March due to political deadlock.

Recent polls have shown the embattled prime minister lagging far behind Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, with Canadian voters ready to make a switch to conservative governance after nine years of Trudeau’s woke, globalist policies.

“As you all know, I am a fighter, and I am not someone who backs away from a fight, particularly when a fight is as important as this one is. But I have always been driven by my love for Canada, by my desire to serve Canadians and by what is in the best of Canadians and Canadians deserve a real choice in the next election. 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 stated.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” he added, “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’s resignation as party head was expected to arrive before a key national caucus meeting this Wednesday, the Globe and Mail first reported on Sunday. The embattled leader reportedly wanted to step down before the meeting to avoid speculation he was forced out by his party’s lawmakers.

Calls for Trudeau’s resignation mounted after his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, announced her resignation last month in a letter pushing back against the prime minister’s proposals for more spending. Freeland’s surprise departure, which came hours before she was supposed to unveil the fall economic update, sent shockwaves through Canada’s political establishment.

Canada’s deficit last fiscal year was $61.9 billion, nearly $22 billion higher than the $40 billion deficit projected in last April’s budget.

In the December 16 letter to Trudeau, Freeland wrote how the pair “have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” particularly over President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

In November, Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada, Mexico and China as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. A couple weeks later,  Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the issue.

The next day, Trump trolled the prime minister, calling him “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.”

“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Dec. 10. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!”