- Justin Trudeau announced Monday morning that he would be stepping down as Canadian prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party.
- Trudeau will continue serving until a new leader is chosen by the Liberal Party members, there are no official names in consideration yet.
- The prime minister's recent decrease in popularity is due to high budget deficits, tariff threats from Donald Trump and other political setbacks.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation Monday morning, after seeing his popularity drop among Canadians, including among members of his own Liberal Party.
“I intend to resign as party leader and as prime minister after the party selects its next leader,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday morning.
According to The New York Times, he will stay on as prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party until a new leader is chosen by party members.
“This means Trudeau will lead the country through the first months of Donald J. Trump’s new presidency and manage talks over tariffs,” according to The New York Times.
Trump reacted to the news via social media, continuing his attack on issues between the neighboring nations.
Trudeau was first elected to parliament in 2008 and became the leader of the Liberal Party three years later. He became the prime minister of Canada in 2015 and went on to win successive elections in 2019 and 2021.
His father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, also served as prime minister from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984, according to CNN.
During the press conference, Trudeau announced that Canada’s parliament will be suspended until March 24, as a new prime minister is chosen.
“Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history,” Trudeau said.
The new leader will be in place when parliament resumes work, per The New York Times.
During his time in office, Trudeau has governed as a progressive, and early on enjoyed popularity. Recently his poll numbers have slumped, with high budget deficits, President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and a number of other political setbacks, per CNN.
How did Donald Trump respond to Trudeau’s resignation?
After Trudeau’s resignation announcement, Trump took to Truth Social to post his response.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.
“If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social
As previously reported by the Deseret News, in November, Trump announced he will be imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada. The two countries are the U.S.‘s top trading partners.
The tariffs would be imposed if the two countries do not “put a complete stop to the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs over the border.”
In late November, Trudeau visited Trump at his private club Mar-a-Lago. The Canadian government has also been working on ways to address Trump’s concerns about border security to try to get him to reconsider his tariff threats, per The New York Times.
Who will succeed Trudeau?
According to CBC, no one has thrown their hat into the ring to take the place of Trudeau officially. But, there have been several names floating around for months.
The potential frontrunners for the position include: former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs minister Mélanie Joly, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, former B.C. premier Christy Clark, current Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.