Justin Trudeau Announces Resignation As Conservative Support Grows in Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal party on Monday, bowing to Conservative headwinds and getting out of the way of what will obviously be a less-than-fun interaction with the incoming Trump administration.

“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,” he said at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday. “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.”

A new general election must be held by October. Trudeau’s party will choose a new leader in March, until which time Parliament will be “prorogued,” or suspended. Trudeau will still be PM until that point.

Incumbent parties have seen support erode dramatically around the world over the past year, and Canada is no exception. According to the CBC, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre leads Trudeau and other parties in the latest polling by more than 20 points. Poilievre is certainly more aligned with Trump than Trudeau, but he has been pretty clear about Canada not becoming the incoming president’s new plaything. Still, he has already made some overtures around oil and gas, which Trump will likely enjoy.

Trudeau’s announcement ends an almost ten-year premiership; he was reelected twice, in 2019 and 2021. His successor as Liberal leader isn’t yet clear, though there are a few clear favorites.