Canada PM Trudeau is likely to announce resignation, source says
OTTAWA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is increasingly likely to announce he intends to step down, though he has not made a final decision, a source familiar with Trudeau's thinking said on Sunday.
The source spoke to Reuters after the Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau was expected to announce as early as Monday that he would quit as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party after nine years in office.
The source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Trudeau's departure would leave the party without a permanent head at a time when polls show the Liberals will badly lose to the official opposition Conservatives in an election that must be held by late October.
Sources told the Globe and Mail that they did not know definitely when Trudeau would announce his plans to leave but said they expect it would happen before a emergency meeting of Liberal legislators on Wednesday.
An increasing number of Liberal parliamentarians, alarmed by a series of gloomy polls, have publicly urged Trudeau to quit.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. The prime minister's regularly published schedule for Monday said he would participate virtually in a cabinet committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations.
It remains unclear whether Trudeau will leave immediately or stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal leader is selected, the Globe and Mail report added.
Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in 2013 when the party was in deep trouble and had been reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.
If he does resign, it would likely spur fresh calls for a quick election to put in place a stable government able to deal with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump for the next four years.
The prime minister has discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to step in as interim leader and prime minister, one source told the newspaper, adding that this would be unworkable if LeBlanc plans to run for the leadership.
Trudeau, 53, had been able to fend off Liberal legislators worried about the polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections.
But calls for him to step aside have grown since December, when Trudeau tried to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies, after she pushed back against his proposals for more spending.
Freeland quit instead and penned a letter accusing Trudeau of "political gimmicks" rather than focusing on what was best for the country.
Trudeau propelled the Liberals to power in 2015 promising "sunny ways" and a progressive agenda that promoted the rights of women and a promise to fight climate change.
But the everyday realities of governing gradually wore him down and like many Western leaders, the need to deal with the effects of the pandemic ate up much of his time.
Although Ottawa spent heavily to protect consumers and businesses, racking up record budget deficits, this provided little protection from public anger as prices soared.
A botched immigration policy led to hundreds of thousands of arrivals, straining an already overheated housing market.
Canadian PM Trudeau set to resign as party leader as polls plummet, reports say
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce he will step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party in the coming days, Canadian media has reported, ahead of a general election to be held later this year that he is widely expected to lose.
Trudeau will likely announce his resignation before a key national caucus meeting on Wednesday, sources told the Globe and Mail and Reuters. However, the sources stressed Trudeau has not made a final decision.
Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party for 11 years and prime minister for nine, is 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.
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.
It is unclear if Trudeau would also step down immediately as prime minister or remain in post until a new leader is selected. The Liberal Party national executive, which controls leadership issues, is scheduled to meet this week, likely after the caucus.
Trudeau’s government was rocked by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland – just hours before she was due to deliver her annual fiscal update.
In a blistering letter of resignation, she criticized Trudeau’s “political gimmicks,” likely referring to a two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar ($175) rebates for most workers.
Freeland said Canada could “ill afford” these policies, seen as a pre-election handout to claw back some voters, and coming as the country faces the serious prospect of huge tariffs which could be levied by the incoming Trump administration.
Trump, set to return to the White House on January 20, has said he will sign an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all products coming into the US from Canada. Trump has also taken to belittling Trudeau and the country of Canada on social media, referring to the prime minister as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.”
Trudeau took the Liberals to power in 2015, promising “sunny ways” for Canada. He championed progressive issues like combating climate change and addressing historic abuses against Indigenous peoples, but the latter years of his premiership have been marked by rising economic discontent.
A viral confrontation with a steel worker, who criticized Trudeau for not addressing the high cost of living, captured the growing discontent among Canadians.
“You’re not really doing anything for us, Justin,” the worker remarked, highlighting a sentiment that resonated widely.
Trudeau was elected three times, most recently in 2021, when he remained in power but lost his governing majority. Since then, Poilievre’s Conservative Party has built a lead over the Liberal Party of more than 20% in national polling averages.
Poilievre has recently found a following with some in Trump’s base, including Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of X. Late last year, Musk called Trudeau “an insufferable tool,” adding that Trudeau “won’t be in power for much longer.”
CNN’s Lex Harvey contributed reporting.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Reportedly Set To Resign This Week—Here’s What To Know
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his resignation this week amid growing pressure from his own party’s lawmakers, just weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to impose steep tariffs on all imports from the country.
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The Canadian Parliament’s present term is set to end later this year and an election must take place before October 20, 2025. A recent poll conducted by Ipsos after Freeland’s showed the Conservatives had a massive 25-point lead over Trudeau’s liberals, with their support at 45%. The polls showed 39% of Canadians believed Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is best equipped to deal with Trump, while only 14% said the same for Trudeau.
Trudeau and his aides met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in November, in a meeting the president-elect described as “very productive.” At the time, Trump said he also discussed “Fair Trade Deals that do not jeopardize American Workers, and [address] the massive Trade Deficit the U.S. has with Canada.” Shortly after the meeting, Fox News reported Trump suggested to Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state if he felt the incoming administration’s planned tariffs would hurt Canada’s economy. A few weeks later, Trudeau spoke about the tariffs and said people in America were “beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive.” Trump quickly responded to the comments with a post on his Truth Social platform mocking the Canadian leader, which said: “It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” Trump added he looks 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!”
In November, Trump announced he plans to impose 25% tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada as one of his first executive orders. In his annoucement at the time, Trump claimed, “a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border.” Trump said the tariffs would remain in place “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”
Trudeau expected to announce exit as party leader before national caucus meeting Wednesday (The Globe and Mail)
Justin Trudeau expected to announce resignation as early as Monday (Toronto Star)
Trump Mocks ‘Governor Justin Trudeau’ After Canadian Prime Minister Flags Tariff Concerns (Forbes)
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly expected to resign from his position as early as Monday, according to Canadian media.
The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail on Sunday night, citing three sources. The outlet said that it is unclear when exactly the Liberal Party leader will step down, but a resignation is expected to come before a national caucus meeting on Wednesday.
The news comes as Trudeau's popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which has a national election planned for Oct. 20 of this year. The country continues to suffer from a housing crisis, a declining per-capita GDP and high inflation, among other issues.
According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68% as of Dec. 24, with a meager 28% of Canadians supporting him.
Trump Suggests Canada Become 51St State After Trudeau Said Tariff Would Kill Economy: Sources
The potential resignation would also come after Trudeau, who became prime minister in 2015, braved a difficult few months in politics. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.
On Dec. 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau's cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. In her resignation letter, she claimed that the only "honest and viable path" was to leave the Cabinet.
"For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," Freeland, who was previously seen as a Trudeau loyalist, wrote.
"Our country is facing a grave challenge," the letter added. "That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war."
Later in December, one of Trudeau's key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence on Jan. 27.
Canada's Trudeau Facing Revolt From Within As Popular Conservative Leader Looks To Capitalize
"No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," Singh said.
Trudeau's personal choices have also invited backlash from his opponents. At the end of November, Trudeau faced international criticism after he was seen dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto while a destructive riot took place in his home city of Montreal.
Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.
"Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances," the Canadian politician wrote. "This is the Canada built by the Liberal government."
"Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved," Stewart added. Trudeau later denounced the lawlessness, calling the riot "appalling."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trudeau's office for comment.
Fox News' Chris Massaro, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Original article source: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report
