Canada’s Justin Trudeau on Monday said he would step down from the helm of the ruling Liberal Party, but will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected ahead of general elections due by late October.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide, competitive process.
“Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. 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,” he said during a Monday press conference.
Trudeau said he “fought for this country” over his nearly 10-year premiership after he announced his resignation as the ruling Liberal party leader.
“Every morning I’ve woken up as prime minister, I have been inspired by the resilience, generosity and determination of Canadians. I have fought for this country, for you,” he told journalists on Monday.
Trudeau listed his administration’s support for Ukraine and his policy during the Covid-19 pandemic, as being among his greatest achievements since he took power in 2015.
“We rallied to support each other through the pandemic … to stand strong with Ukraine, and our democracy, to fight climate change, and to get our economy ready for the future. We are at a critical moment in the world.
“If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election — well, probably many regrets that I will think of,” Trudeau said. “But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”
“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 later added.
Trudeau first entered the political scene in 2008, when he was elected a member of Parliament, and then as leader of the Liberal Party five years later.
In 2015, he claimed the premiership after he campaigned on an anti-conservative platform and won a clear majority in the October elections, seeing off his predecessor, Stephen Harper.
One of the country’s youngest-ever leaders, Trudeau ascended to popularity by pushing progressive values on the global stage, branding himself as an antidote to former President Donald Trump. He won successive elections in 2019 and 2021.
But his early rise has steadily declined after a series of political setbacks — including accusations of racism after old photographs surfaced of him using blackface and anger over vaccine mandates during the coronavirus pandemic.
He has since slumped in the polls – after incoming US President Trump unleashed a flurry of tariff threats and the subsequent surprise resignation of his former political ally and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party for 11 years and prime minister for nine was facing a mounting set of crises, from Donald Trump’s tariff threats to the resignation of key allies and disastrous opinion polls. His resignation would be seen as the PM choosing to jump before he is pushed, ahead of a general election to be held later this year that he is widely expected to lose.
The move would leave the Liberal Party without a permanent leader before the general election, where polls show it is set to badly lose to the opposition Conservative Party, led by the firebrand Pierre Poilievre. The election must be held on or before October 20 but could be brought forward.
The Liberal Party national executive, which controls leadership issues, is scheduled to meet this week, likely after the caucus.
Trudeau was elected three times, most recently in 2021 when he remained in power but lost his governing majority. Since then, the Conservative Party, led by the firebrand Pierre Poilievre, has built a lead over the Liberal Party of more than 20% in national polling averages.
Trudeau will remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new leader is chosen.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, may resign amid party dissent — Reports
