Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plans to resign from office MondayĀ in the wake of a public dispute with President-elect Donald Trump and plummeting popularity among even those in his own party.
TheĀ decisionĀ comes in the wake of Finance MinisterĀ Chrystia FreelandāsĀ resignation, which was prompted in part by Trudeauās spat with Trump over tariff policy.Ā He ends his nine-year tenure as PM with a 33% approval rating, with citizens citing cost of living and immigration anxieties as top issues,Ā accordingĀ to an Ipsos poll taken in September.
The liberal prime minister clarified that he will remain in the top post until another leader is chosen.
āI intend to resign as Party leader, as Prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,ā Trudeau said Monday. āLast night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process.ā
āThis country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me, that if Iām having to fight internal battles, that I cannot be the best option in that election,ā Trudeau said.
Trudeau faced calls for his resignation from over 40 members of parliament before his decision,Ā accordingĀ to the New York Post Dec. 17. Trudeau will remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new leader is chosen.
Under the Canadian system, an election must be called by Oct. 20,Ā accordingĀ to Reuters. However, a vote of no confidence by parliament could trigger an election sooner.
Trudeauās tenure has been rife with scandals, including revelations in 2019 of hisĀ useĀ of blackface at a party in 2001 and allegations of judicialĀ interferenceĀ in 2019 where he allegedly instructed former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to snuff out a corruption charge against Quebec mega-contractor SNC-Lavalin.
The rival Conservative party is almost certainly set for a majority in parliament when the next election takes place, leading the liberals by a whopping 21 points,Ā accordingĀ to CBC news polling updated Dec. 16. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre will likely take over as PM in place of Trudeauās Liberal party replacement in the next election.
Among Canadian voters top concerns are living costs, housing affordability, health care, the economy and immigration,Ā accordingĀ to an Abacus Data poll taken June 20 to June 25.
The median home price in Canada increased by a staggering 227% from 2003 to 2023 while annual earnings only increased by 74.3%,Ā accordingĀ to an analysis by NerdWallet.
The immigration issue in Canada is also intimately tied to a housing shortage, as PoilievreĀ explainedĀ to CBC in August, Canada ācannot grow the population at three times the rate of the housing stock, as Trudeau has been doing.ā
Trudeau has also faced criticism for his extreme gun control laws during his tenure, with his government outlawing āassault weaponsā in 2020 while continuously adding new firearms to the ban list,Ā accordingĀ to the NRA. He also passed a carbon tax which drew the ire of conservatives and the general populace,Ā accordingĀ to CBC News.
The now-exiting prime minister also shared āone regretā heās had while in office.
āIf I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election ā well, probably many regrets that I will think of,ā Trudeau said. āBut I do wish weād 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.ā
Trudeauās office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundationās requests for comment.
Editorās note: This article has been updated.
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