Canada’s Justin Trudeau resigns citing ‘internal fighting’

Under increasing pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will step down, ending his nine-year tenure as leader.

Trudeau said he would remain in office until his Liberal Party chooses a new leader, and Parliament would be adjourned – or suspended – until March 24.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I have to fight an internal battle, I cannot be the best choice in that election,” he said during a news conference on Monday. ”

Trudeau’s personal unpopularity among Canadians had become a growing drag on his party’s fortunes ahead of federal elections later this year.

“Last night, over dinner, I told my children about the decision I’m sharing with you today,” he said at a news conference in Ottawa.

He said, “After the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process, I intend to resign as party leader, as well as as Prime Minister.”

Liberal Party President Sachit Mehra said that the party’s board of directors will meet this week to start the process of selecting a new leader.

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In a statement, he said: “Liberals across the country are deeply grateful to Justin Trudeau for more than a decade of leadership of our party and country.”

“As prime minister, his vision delivered transformational progress for Canadians,” he said, citing programs his government established such as the Canada Child Benefit and dental care and pharmacare coverage for some drugs.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said “nothing has changed” following Trudeau’s resignation.

Poilievre wrote on Want to mislead voters by making swaps.”

Trudeau, 53, had faced growing calls from within his Liberal Party to step down, which intensified in December when Deputy Prime Minister and longtime aide Chrystia Freeland suddenly resigned.

In a public resignation letter, Freeland cited Newly elected US President Donald Trump threatens to impose tariffs on Canadian goodsand accused Trudeau of not doing enough to address the “serious challenge” posed by Trump’s proposals.

Trump has promised to impose a 25% tax on imported Canadian goods — which economists warn would significantly hurt Canada’s economy — unless the country takes steps to increase security at their shared border.

Trudeau said Monday that he had expected Freeland to remain deputy prime minister, “but he chose otherwise”.

Canada has since announced that it will implement Comprehensive new security measures on the country’s US border in response to the threat.

In an online post, Trump claimed pressure over tariffs led Trudeau to resign and repeated his taunt that Canada should become the “51st state.”

He wrote, “If Canada were annexed to the United States, there would be no tariff, the taxes would be greatly reduced, and they would be entirely secure from the danger of the Russian and Chinese vessels which constantly beset them.”

Since 2019, the Liberal Party has governed as the minority party.

Following Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau lost the support of the parties that had previously helped keep the Liberals in power – the left-leaning New Democrats, who had an endorsement pact with the Liberals, and the Quebec nationalist party, the Bloc Québécois.

The largest opposition party, the Conservatives, have held a significant double-digit lead over the Liberals in the polls for several months – suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could suffer a significant defeat.

The Liberals will now choose a new leader to lead the party into the next election, which should be held on or before October 20.

A senior government official told the BBC that the race is an open competition, and that the Prime Minister’s Office will remain completely out of the process, and it will be left up to Liberal Party members to decide their future.

Speaking to reporters, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet suggested an election be called soon after the Liberals choose their new leader.

Trudeau is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who dominated the country’s politics in the 1970s and 80s.

The younger Trudeau became prime minister in 2015 after the Liberal Party won a sweeping majority amid promises to usher in a new, progressive era of “sunny ways.”

His record includes a commitment to gender parity in his cabinet, which is made up of 50% women; progress on reconciliation with indigenous peoples in Canada; introducing a national carbon tax; implementing tax-free child benefits for families; and legalizing recreational cannabis.

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, praised Trudeau’s track record on Indigenous issues in a statement following Trudeau’s resignation, saying he has “taken meaningful steps to address issues important to First Nations”.

“Although much work remains, these actions have laid a foundation for future governments to build.”

Trudeau’s government has been clouded in recent years, facing a series of often self-inflicted scandals, including a dispute over a deal with a Canadian firm that faced corruption charges and wearing brown-face makeup. Photos of the Prime Minister were included.

Vaccine mandates and other restrictions also faced a backlash from some Canadians, leading to the Freedom Convoy truck protests in early 2022. Trudeau ultimately used unprecedented emergency powers to remove the protesters.

As Canada began to emerge from the pandemic, housing and food prices skyrocketed, and his government scaled back ambitious immigration targets as public services began to show strain.

By the end of 2024, Trudeau’s approval ratings were at an all-time low – only 22% of Canadians said they thought he was doing a good job, According to a polling tracker,

In Ottawa, a small group of protesters danced outside Parliament Hill in celebration of his resignation.

However, one passerby said he thought things were fine under Trudeau’s watch.

“I’m a carpenter,” Hames Gamarra, of British Columbia, told the BBC. “I mind my own business, I get my salary, I pay the bills. It’s all good.”

Another Canadian, Maris Cassivi, said it felt like the end of an era. Asked if he felt any hint of sadness, he replied: “No.”

“That’s the right thing.”